


The Broken.

by seiraswriting



Series: Sweet Release [5]
Category: The 100 (TV), The 100 Series - Kass Morgan
Genre: Bellamy Has Feelings, F/M, Hurt Bellamy, POV Bellamy Blake, Protective Bellamy, Rewrite, The 100 rewrite, Worried Bellamy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-06-25
Packaged: 2019-12-26 00:40:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 23
Words: 106,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18272309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seiraswriting/pseuds/seiraswriting
Summary: "A scar does not form on the dying... a scar means I survived."A.L.I.E. is finally gone and so is Pike, things should be taking a turn around Earth but, what no one expected was that it was going to be a turn for the worse; a new challenge: Earth will be completely radiated in less than six months and our delinquents need to figure out a way out of this one soon, before the news cause a riot that they can't control.Sweet Release Series (4) »» [The 100, S4.]*Warnings: most definitively swearing and some character deaths along the way.*Disclaimer*: I do not own anything in here but Sam's character and her story as well as the other original characters.





	1. The living are hungry.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting rid of A.L.I.E. and Pike should have given everyone a break. Key phrase: should have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: secondary character death so like, get tissues. And a whole lot of angst, so get some tea.

****

**MURPHY'S POV**

Maybe following Sam was not the best idea I'd ever had, considering she started climbing down the Tower as she didn't find another way down in the two seconds it took her to look around and choose the most dangerous option she could find; nothing new here.

\- "Sam!" –I yelled at her as she started going down, Emori and I looking down at her from the balcony- "Come back, we'll find another way!"

\- "I have to get there." –she looked down before looking at me again- "You don't have to follow me, find another way and I'll meet you both down there. I'll introduce you to Sheda." –she looked at Emori- "Also, and before I forget, call me Sam."

She smiled and kept going; it was nerve-breaking, seeing her going down, losing contact with the structure from time to time as the rocks gave in under her weight. But she had asked Emori to call her Sam, so I had to smile and so did Emori, we both knowing what that meant.

\- "Fine." –I rolled my eyes- "If you insist falling to our deaths is not that bad, I'll go too." –I jumped over the balcony and looked at Emori- "I'll meet you down."

\- "Is this a normal day in her life?"

\- "Pretty much."

\- "I wonder how you even survived."

\- "I do too sometimes." –I kissed her- "I'll see you down there."

\- "Don't fall to your death, John!" –she looked down- "And neither do you, Samantha!"

 _That's easier said than done._ I looked down to see Sam giving a nod to Emori.

\- "Call me Sam!"

I looked at Emori, smile on both our faces we both knowing what this meant.

\- "Alright, be careful Sam!"

Emori yelled again as I simply shook my head and I started climbing down too.  _The things I do._  I was halfway down when I started considering why it was me following Sam and not Bellamy; after all, he'd be much better suited for this kind of physical job.

\- "Now, that was fun."

I heard Sam before I saw her over my shoulder as I got down to the next level where there was finally an actual stair to use.

\- "You didn't have to risk your life like that, M. I don't want to face Emori's wrath."

\- "Oh." –I jumped down the last couple steps, landing next to her- "Someone has to keep an eye on you."

\- "Hey, I've been doing just fine on my own."

\- "On your own, sure." –I mocked her and she rolled her eyes at me- "Let's find this Sheda guy."

As we walked around the city, I realized there were people in different degrees of pain and despair, some of them lying unconscious on the ground.

\- "This is the weirdest thing I've seen in a while."

\- "How do you know Sheda's down here?"

\- "I asked A.L.I.E. to let him go home before taking the chip." –Sam looked at me- "I hope you'll both get along, it may take you a bit because he likes rules and that type of thing, you know?"

\- "And how did you get along with him?"

\- "Well, he's in charge of my training." –I gave her a questioning look- "Oh, true. So, update, I've been training with Trikru since you left, I had been training with Oreth and... and Ion before I met Sheda..."

\- "Where are they?"

\- "Oreth was killed by a missile from Mount Weather and Pike slaughtered Ion, he died on my arms..."

\- "I'm sorry, Sam."

\- "I am too." –she gave me a sad smile- "Now I just hope Sheda isn't too confused or in pain. He's the only one I have left." -I nodded in understanding.

\- "Thank you."

\- "For?"

\- "For accepting Emori so quickly."

\- "You aren't one to hand your trust lightly just to anyone, that can only mean Emori is a good one; I'm happy for you."

\- "You and... Bellamy?"

\- "It's... complicated. Long-story-short: we broke up. If you want a more in-depth analysis... you have to stick around." –she smiled at me.

I nodded with a smile on my face and we continued walking around the city. We got to one of the secondary plazas in Polis, finding there a group of people lying on the floor and some others moving them and pushing them around as if trying to wake them up.

\- "What's going on?"

I'm sure Sam and I had the same look of extreme confusion as the Grounders looked at us but, before anyone said anything, Sam sprinted towards the other side of the plaza.

\- "Sheda! Finally! I was starting to wonder where the fuck she sent you."

I followed her suit, seeing a guy lying on the floor with a peaceful look on his face which was, to say the least, creepy; Sam kneeled next to him and lightly pushed him to the side.

\- "Come on, Sheda, it didn't take me three hours to come back to my senses. There are people you have to meet." -she placed her hands on his face and her own completely discomposed- "Why is he so cold."

Her hands moved to his jacket as she checked his body for any wounds or signs of broken bones, but there was nothing except a small wound on his neck caused by Ontari's blade and the bruises Sam caused him when fighting in the Throne room; nothing major. I moved to kneel in front of Sam, on the other side of the guy's body as Sam reached the side of his neck.

\- "No, no, no. This is not happening!"

The panic in Sam's voice rose all my alarms, so I moved my own hand to check the guy's pulse: there was none.  _He's... dead? But why?_ I didn't have time to question anything as Sam placed her hands over Sheda's heart and started the CPR procedure.

\- "Sheda, please. Not you." –tears formed on her eyes- "Come back, please. Come back to me!"

His body was cold and he must have been long gone but, in the hysteria of everything, I couldn't bring myself to tear Sam apart from him; the happiness I felt after finding Emori and reuniting with Sam long gone now seeing my friend so heartbroken.

\- "Fuck, come on! He's not bleeding out and he didn't fall from anywhere, this makes no fucking sense!" –Sam rose her face to look at me- "Find Clarke or Abbie, someone! Murphy, please!"

I nodded my head, quickly running back to the tower's entrance; I didn't know what Sam's relationship with Sheda was but I knew she wouldn't ask for help in between sobs if he was just some random Grounder.  _Where are these people when you need them?_

**\----------------------**

**BELLAMY'S POV**

After Clarke informed me about what A.L.I.E. had told her before she disconnected her, we made our way down to the ground. As soon as we got there, I started looking around for Octavia and Sam but they were nowhere to be seen.  _Maybe if I find Indra and Sheda..._

\- "They'll be okay." –Clarke tried to reassure me as I kept looking around- "They can take care of themselves."

\- "I know... that's not what I'm worried about."

\- "Octavia won't be charged, everyone will say Pike had it coming."

\- "Maybe we all do." –I trailed off.

\- "How do we tell these people that the world is ending after everything they've been through?"

\- "We don't." –I was quick to answer- "Not until we know A.L.I.E. was telling you the truth."

\- "It was the truth."

\- "Still, we keep it to ourselves until we know what we're dealing with and how to stop it." –I looked at her- "Not even Sam."

\- "You're afraid of how people will react."

\- "Yes. Besides, I could use a break from keeping you alive." –I smiled at her and she nodded- "You gave them back their pain, let's not add to it by telling them they're gonna die in 6 months." –she nodded- "Good. Once everyone's down, we go back to Arkadia and get to work; we didn't survive this long to let a little radiation take us out."

\- "Thank you." –I gave her a questioning look- "For keeping me alive. I know fighting Sam..."

\- "Bellamy! Clarke!" –Murphy came running and yelling almost out of breath, interrupting Clarke.

\- "What happened?" –I was quick to ask, placing my hand on his shoulder as he regained his breath, resting his hands on his knees- "Where's Sam?"

\- "It's Sheda... something's happened... Clarke..."

\- "Where is she?" –I interrupted him- "Get me to Sam."

Murphy nodded, starting to move back as Clarke and I followed him around the city until we finally got to a plaza where a bunch of Grounders were making a circle around someone; they made way for us to walk through their barrier and we quickly found ourselves in the middle.

\- "Sam..."

Murphy was the first to speak, his voice more a question than a statement as I looked at her, my feet promptly carrying me next to her. As she heard his voice, she turned around; she was crying.

\- "Clarke, help me." –she begged and Clarke moved fast next to her, looking at Sheda's body- "I don't get it, why is he not waking up?"

I saw Clarke's guilt before she said anything, the expression on her face going unnoticed to Sam who was way too focused on Sheda to see it, but not to me; so, I kneeled on Sam's other side, knowing something bad was about to happen.

**\-----------**

**3rd POV**

\- "He chased me in the City of Light." –Clarke breathes out as she remembers the fight.

\- "And...?" –Bellamy asks, his eyes glued to Samantha who keeps up with the procedure.

\- "He was following me and Lexa killed him..."

\- "Sheda, come on..." –Samantha refuses to give in, still trying to make Sheda's heart restart.

\- "If we killed someone while chipped, their mind remained in the City of Light like Monty's mother but, if you died there..."

\- "What!" –Samantha finally turns to face her as Clarke stands up- "What are you saying!"

\- "He's not coming back, Sam." –she moves away from Samantha, seeing her eyes burning with rage- "I'm sorry..."

\- "Sorry won't fucking cut it!" –Samantha raises from the ground too, startling Bellamy with her sudden movement, making him fall down on his ass but he quickly raises up- "Are you telling me I took that fucking chip to prevent A.L.I.E. from slitting his throat and, in return, Lexa killed him? Why would she...."

\- "To protect me."

And that's the trigger; Samantha pounces over Clarke and she is just about to reach her when Bellamy interferes, managing to catch her in time to pull her away from Clarke who simply takes a couple steps back as she watches her friend lose touch with reality for a couple seconds. Samantha fights Bellamy, caring very little if she hurts him or herself in the process.

\- "Sam, please, stop fighting; you're going to hurt yourself."

\- "I don't care! Let me go! Let me go!" –her voice is hard and coarse- "I'm going to fucking kill every single one of you!"

Bellamy simply tightens his grip on her, hoping she'll get tired soon, knowing that, deep down, she doesn't really mean it; although he also knows he can't let her go or she may actually start by getting rid of Clarke. Bellamy knew Sheda had been trying to teach Samantha how to deal with her emotions but seeing her like this, he knew he hadn't succeeded. A crowd has formed by now around them as Samantha stops fighting against her former lover; he loosens his grip and she simply drops to her knees, moving back to the cold body of her friend but she can't keep it together.

\- "Sheda, you promised me." –she moves his head onto her lap as she caresses his cheeks- "You fucking promised!" –she yells, hitting the ground with her clenched fist- "Please... I'll do anything, I'll kill anyone, just come back. We're a team, I don't want to be alone..."

Samantha's voice cracks as she starts sobbing; Bellamy places a hand on her shoulder but she brushes him away. He looks hurt but he knows Sheda and Samantha had formed a peculiar yet strong bond over the last couple of months and realizing she's lost him... He simply stays there, ready to catch her again as soon as she needs him; he only wants to ease her pain, he wishes he could do something, but none of them can. It's too late.

\- "I love you, please, come back..." –she kisses his forehead, Bellamy's head immediately shooting in her direction as he hears her- "You deserve to know, I need you to come back and hear me. I should have told you what you meant to me; I can't do this without you, please, Sheda..."

\- "Sam, I'm so..." –Clarke tried again but realizes her mistake all too late.

\- "No!" –Samantha faces her, cutting her off- "I am tired of hearing worthless apologies after someone I care about dies!" -she raises to her feet- "I am tired of hearing 'sorry' after all of you get my people killed! I am tired of losing everyone! I am tired of fighting for nothing! I'm tired of this fucking life that we clearly don't deserve or we'd stop fucking things up for everyone else!" –her breaths are short and uneven, the rage running through her veins and spilling from her lips like blades.

\- "Sam, this wasn't you." –Bellamy approaches her, trying to ease her but she avoids him easily, not wanting to be touched but keeping eye contact with him.

\- "I told him to come here and he did it because he love..." –a sob drinks Samantha's words and all she can do is hug herself- "You were there, you heard the whole conversation; I made him come... how's that not my fault? I trap people and then I get them killed." –she covers her mouth trying to stop herself from sobbing any louder, dropping to her knees- "If Death ever walked on Earth, it's me."

She turns her back on Bellamy, resting her forehead on Sheda's unmoving chest as she covers her head with her arms; her body starts trembling as her breathing becomes more and more uneven with each breath she takes. She suddenly raises her upper body; a scream falls from her mouth making everyone's blood run cold.

\- "She's having a panic attack." –Clarke quickly points out, knowing they have to help her calm down before it gets any worse.

\- "What's going on?"

Octavia approaches them for she has heard the turmoil; she lands eyes first on Murphy, who simply points with her head at the scene in front of him; Octavia's gaze immediately finds her sister hovering over her friend's body, her stomach turning upside down at the scene in front of her, being all too familiar.

\- "Not him... not this again." –she merely whispers, approaching her- "Sam..."

\- "She's having a panic attack, Octavia..."

\- "I killed him!" –Samantha yells sobbing- "It's happened again!"

\- "Sam..." –Octavia slowly moves her hand to her shoulder, trying to hug her and separate her from the lifeless corpse.

\- "Maybe... if I had let him kiss me... if I had come with him..."

\- "Sam, can you look at me?"

Octavia's voice is calm and sweet, knowing her sister needs her now not to lose touch with reality. Samantha finally raises her face to look at her: bloodshot eyes from the intense crying, wet traces running down her checks and towards her jaw from the tears she keeps spilling and that fall down her neck or onto the ground as they reach her jaw, bloody lip from biting herself at some point during her break down.

\- "Maybe he'd still be with me... maybe I could have saved him... maybe this could have been me."

\- "Sam, I know you love Sheda but don't you dare think for one second this one is on you. He was an adult, he knew what he was doing..."

\- "All he ever did was help me, care for me, teach me to be better... he was protecting me all this time and what did I do in return? I rejected him and sentenced him to death at the same fucking time." –Samantha yells the last words and glues her eyes to Octavia's, her voice sounding as serious as it can after the intense crying- "I'd advise you to leave me alone before I manage to destroy you too..."

\- "Sam..."

\- "No, you don't understand." –Samantha quickly cuts her off- "This could have been you or..." –she glances at Bellamy, quickly shaking her head- "... what would I have done then, huh? I can't risk it... I just..."

\- "We're all grown-ups here." –Octavia's voice is calm and soft and seems to ease Samantha's rage, at least a little- "You couldn't push me even if you tried with all you've got." –she smiles, streaking Samantha's cheek- "Same way you couldn't push Sheda nor Bellamy away. Commander of Blood or not, ours is not on your hands. Never will."

Bellamy nods in agreement, even though neither of the sisters is watching him; he feels lucky he go to have a conversation with Sheda before this: he had learned about Sheda's feelings for Samantha while he also proved to him that she did not feel for him what she felt for Bellamy; Samantha loved Sheda, deeply, but she wasn't in love with him and both men knew it. Bellamy is also grateful he could thank Sheda for taking care of her when he had gone rogue; the truth is, he is also mourning Sheda's death for he had started to think they could have been good friends after they got rid of A.L.I.E., but they would never find out now. He also knows how deeply Samantha feels things, that's why he's so worried about her; it was finally starting to look as if they were really overcoming their issues but now he feels he's in the verge of losing her all over again; however, this time, she's also losing herself and he knows coming back from that won't be easy. He still isn't sure he can do it himself.

\- "I couldn't even say goodbye..." –tears fall down her cheeks again and Octavia is quick to hug her.

\- "We never can." –she sighs letting go- "Breathe, Sam." –Samantha looks slightly calmer as she follows her sister's instructions, both of them keeping a breathing pattern together- "In and out, easy."

Samantha nods but tries to turn her face to look at Sheda; Octavia is quick to grab her chin and stop her from doing so, not wanting to trigger another attack.

\- "Close your eyes and breathe, Sam."

Samantha does as she is asked and, while she can't see, Octavia makes a move for someone to cover Sheda's body and, quickly, one of the Grounders next to them does as asked. They know Samantha, they knew Sheda and they are waiting for what's to come.

\- "Can you keep breathing for me?" –Octavia asks- "I'll be back in a second."

\- "Yeah."

Samantha merely whispers to Octavia who stands up and moves next to Clarke and Bellamy to learn what really happened out here. As they aren't looking, Samantha wipes her tears from her face, moves back to Sheda and discovers his face, taking a deep breath as she takes out one of her many blades.

\- "Yu ste seintaim os kom ai... Moba... Ai hod yu in, amin. Yu na na feva kom Ai." [You were too good for me... I'm sorry... You will be with me forever.] –she whispers after kissing Sheda's forehead- "We'll meet again."

But, before she can do anything, someone grabs her by her middle, pulling her up and making her drop the blade due to the sudden movement and the unexpectedness of the intrusion.

\- "I can't let you do that, Jusheda."

The Skaikru group turns around alarmed by the noise, only to see a Grounder pulling Sam away from Sheda. He had taken a couple steps from where he was standing, watching the Skaikru people intensively, to stop Samantha from doing anything she might have regretted later; nothing too out of the ordinary if it weren't for the fact that the Grounder is a member of Azgeda.

\- "You're not sacrificing yourself for a worthless Trikru." –the Ice Nation warrior lets go of her and Samantha turns around- "Don't waste your potential."

\- "I'm going to break the face of the next person that talks about my potential." -she turns around- "You." –she recognizes him, it's the same man he fought so long ago to help Claire- "He saved your life that day. How fucking dare you insult his memory like that!" –the rage in her voice is enough to make the Grounders standing the closest to her take a couple steps back- "He was worth 10 times more than you, 10 times more than any of us still breathing!"

The sobs have died out, the trembling has disappeared, the tears are long gone now, only fury and wrath surround Samantha's body now, her body language completely different from a couple seconds ago, ready to start a fight. And end it.

\- "You had and still have no chance against me."

\- "Is that a challenge? Because that's not how I remember last time going." –she stands tall in front of him, side smile on her face– "I was just going to cut his hair, I wasn't going to hurt myself or anyone for that matter, but now... I've changed my mind." –she takes out another pair of blades, ready to strike- "I want blood, yours will do just fine."

\- "Sam, no." –Bellamy tries to stop her, standing in between the two of them- "You don't have to do this; this is not who you are, let's go back to Arkadia..."

\- "I need you to leave." –her eyes travel across his face as if she were trying to engrave each detail in her memory, her voice softer as she relaxes slightly- "This is no place for you, you aren't safe here." -she then catches Murphy's eyes- "Go. Find Emori." -he doesn't seem to buy it- "I'll be fine, just go now, please." -Murphy nods and storms out of there, knowing he has to find Emori soon for Polis doesn't seem such a peaceful place after all.

\- "Move out of my way, Skaikru." –the Grounder pushes Bellamy away for he was trying to get to Samantha again as she spoke with Murphy; another one pulls him back so that he can't interfere any longer- "This is in between Jusheda and me."

\- "If I weren't already planning on bathing in your blood..." –Samantha turns to face him, the grip on her blades only getting tighter- "...I'd threatened to kill you for touching him."

As those words fall from Samantha's lips, the Grounder keeping Bellamy still, lets go of him, making Bellamy realize the girl in front of him is able to threaten everyone around her with just words. Maybe he isn't giving her the credit she deserves.

\- "This is Skaikru's fault." –the Azgeda warrior looks at her- "Why are you protecting him?"

\- "Less talking, more blood-spilling."

Bellamy tries once more to stop the fight not wanting to witness his girl getting hurt again but, this time, it's Octavia the one that stops him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

\- "Sam knows what she's doing."

\- "Does she?" –Bellamy's words drip with sarcasm- "Because it doesn't look like it. She's in no condition to fight anyone, let alone Azgeda..." –a loud thud and the gasp of a couple people interrupts him.

\- "You don't know how easy it is for Sam to channel her anger and turn it into power." –they both turn around to see the man already on the ground, Octavia sporting a proud smile on her face- "Feelings are her fuel, you should know by now."

Meanwhile, Samantha has been quick to get rid of the man, the adrenaline running through her veins numbing the pain from the hits and cuts only making her more resilient.

\- "You've improved since last time." –the man on the floor laughs.

\- "Why do you look so happy about your fate?"

\- "You're not going to kill me."

\- "Why?" –she stands next to him, the tip of her sword pressing his neck.

\- "I have an offer."

\- "I want blood."

The statement gains a smile from the Azgeda warrior and a couple nods from the Grounders surrounding them; however, it does nothing but instigate fear in both Bellamy and Clarke. Octavia nods too, having a deep understanding of her sister's craving for blood, she only just satiated hers.

\- "That's what we all want, Commander..." –the man makes a pause as he pushes her sword slowly away from his neck- "...of Blood. Stedaunon don gon we, kikon ste enti." [The dead are gone, the living are hungry.]

\- "Yeah! Kill the Skaikru, Jusheda!"

\- "Frag em op." [Kill them]

Grounders shout for Samantha to make a move as they tighten the circle around them.

\- "You don't want to kill me?" –she asks the Grounder who's looking up at her and he shakes his head in denial- "That's surprising... what could Azgeda want to do with me."

\- "I have an offer."

\- "From whom?" –she asks as he raises in front of her- "How do I know I can I trust you?"

\- "Can I trust you?" –he puts his sword away- "Ai laik Ulger."

Samantha eyes the man up and down but has to quickly snap out of it as the Grounders around them have started to approach Clarke, Bellamy, and Octavia threateningly.

\- "Frag em up!"

\- "No! Bak yu op." –[Stay back] Samantha is quick to command, turning to Bellamy and Clarke- "You should both leave, now. Take everyone else and leave Polis."

\- "I'm not leaving without you." –Bellamy is quick to protest, taking her hand on his.

\- "I can't, I have to fix things here..." -she lets go of him, dreading what she has to do, but his safety is, and has always been, her top priority- "I'm sorry, I'm not who you want me to be anymore, Bellamy... I'm sorry, just take Clarke and go." –she turns to address Clarke- "Leave. I can't stop the whole city if they choose to go after you."

\- "What about Octavia."

\- "Touch my sister, you bleed."

Samantha answers looking at Clarke but everyone around them knows it's a threat to whoever dares so much as to look at Octavia the wrong way, most of them nodding in understanding; even the Azgeda warrior nods. Clarke is quick to nod at Samantha and grab Bellamy's arm, pulling him away from there but he is unable to move, he can't leave Samantha alone, he swore not to let her go again; he just can't leave her like this.

\- "Let's go, Bellamy." –Octavia shoves him out of the circle- "Sam is going to be ok. You heard her."

\- "I can't... I can't leave her behind." –Bellamy protests- "She isn't one of them."

\- "She is now." –Clarke quickly answers as in between her and Octavia they have managed to get Bellamy out of there- "They listen to her, you've seen it."

\- "They listen to Jusheda, not to Sam." –Bellamy manages to catch a last glimpse of Samantha as she starts talking with Ulger again- "I have to bring Sam with me."

\- "They are the same now." –Octavia states with a hard tone- "Drop trying to save her, she doesn't need saving; war changes people, it changed you and now Sam's embracing her other side."

\- "That's not who she is."

\- "None of us is who we used to be when we landed."

\- "But..."

\- "This side of Sam has always been there, we've known it from the beginning: back then it was mascaraed with her own physical sacrifice for we didn't know how to fight and she blamed herself for everything..."

"And now?"

"Now? Cross her or hurt us and face your fate, she'll get rid of whoever stands in her way."

\- "She's insane." –Clarke mumbles.

\- "You've done it before too." –Octavia's eyes harden as she looks at Clarke- "The difference? Sam doesn't hide nor cares about getting her hands dirty."

**\--------------------**

**CLARKE'S POV**

After we got away from the crowd, leaving Sam there with the Azgeda warrior, we got to the entrance of the Tower, finding my mom and Kane there.

\- "You're down, good." –I greeted them- "We have to go. The Rover's in the North woods."

\- "What about the wounded?"

\- "Grounders don't want our help." -Bellamy quickly explains to Kane- "Our people, we'll treat them at Arkadia."

\- "Bellamy?" –Raven's voice came through the radio Bellamy was carrying- "Bellamy, please, come in."

\- "Raven, you ok?" –Bellamy and I moved away from my mom and Kane to speak with Raven.

\- "Yeah, we're all in one piece."

\- "That's good." –Bellamy spoke and I nodded to his words- "There's something we need you to look into."

\- "Well, first tell me how my friends are." –Raven's voice was demanding- "Did everyone make it? Clarke?"

\- "I'm here." –I took the walkie from Bellamy- "Thanks to you."

\- "I saw Sam in the City of Light, what happened?" –Raven spoke before Jasper's voice was heard in the background.

\- "Is she okay?"

I looked at Bellamy, not really knowing what to say as he allowed his eyes to wander around us as if he was trying to find Sam.

\- "Yeah..." –Bellamy finally spoke- "She's helping some people..."

\- "I wanna talk to her." –Jasper wasn't giving up.

\- "Jasper..." –Bellamy started again- "Sam's..."

\- "Right here." –she appeared from behind us, startling us both- "Give me the walkie." –she extended her hand and Bellamy gave it to her without hesitation- "J?"

\- "Sam!" –Jasper's voice came through the walkie much more relaxed- "You were in the City of Light."

\- "It's a long story." –Sam looked at me, my urge to talk with Raven probably showing on my face- "We'll talk more later, now Clarke needs to speak with Raven, alright?"

\- "Are you coming back already?"

\- "I'll be there as soon as I can, J. I have to take care of some stuff here, but I'll go back to Arkadia to see you, can't leave my best bud alone back there, can I?"

\- "Glad to hear you made it too." –Raven's voice came through the walkie now after we heard a low chuckle from Jasper.

\- "Yeah, won't be for lack of trying, trust me." –Sam chuckled a little- "I give you Clarke now."

I nodded at her and took the walkie.

**\-----------------------**

**BELLAMY'S POV**

Out of nowhere, Sam had caught us trying to get answers with Raven's help, exactly what I didn't want her doing; she had just lost Sheda, I couldn't drop another bomb on her just like that. She handed the walkie back to Clarke, who moved back from us as she gave me a knowing look; Sam caught her as she eyed us both, raising an unimpressed eyebrow.

\- "Care to explain?"

\- "Everything's good." –I tried to take her to talk to me first- "I'm worried about you, I'm sorry about Sheda, he was a good guy, I..."

\- "Stop." –she raised her hand in front of me- "I don't wanna talk about it." –she stood closer to me- "What's going on now?"

\- "I've told you, nothing. Everything's fine..." -I moved my hand to her face but she was quick to slap it away.

\- "You think me dumb now?"

\- "Sam, nothing is going on between Clarke and me." –I reassured her, thinking I knew what she was talking about.

\- "What?" –she looked confused for a moment, the second that it took me to realize she meant the secrecy with Clarke and Raven and not her suspicions of me feeling something for Clarke; but there was no going back now that I had, once more, planted that seed on her brain- "I don't care about you and Clarke. For all I care you can run back to Arkadia, get married and have kids." –she scoffed- "What is really going on? What do we have to solve now?"

A Grounder started shouting in Trig, immediately catching Sam and Clarke's attention before I could say anything else.

\- "What's happening?"

\- "Roan..." –Sam breathed out- "I thought they killed him..." –she started moving but I pulled her back- "Get your hand off me, Blake. Roan needs help."

\- "The Grounders don't want our help."

\- "The Grounders don't want Skaikru's help. I'm Jusheda." –she got rid of me- "Roan helped me back with the chipped, I owe him." -she took off running after the Grounder.

\- "Fill Raven in, I'll go with her." –Clarke handed me the walkie and I took it as she turned to her mom- "Come on."

 _He helped her? What does that mean?_  I walked after them as I filled Raven in until everyone started shouting and our guards took out their guns and the Grounders surrounded us; I asked Raven to wait as I started running towards them, seeing Abbie holding Clarke back as Echo forced Sam to raise from the ground next to Roan and putting a blade to her neck, my heart stopping for a moment. Azgeda Grounders covered Echo's back as Abbie tried to reason with her.

\- "Echo!" –I yelled enraged, feeling the blood in my face- "Let her go." –I tried to get to them but Kane pulled me back, the rage coursing through my blood only able to see the blade on Sam's neck- "Let her go!" –right now all I wanted was kill Echo for touching Sam after she had defended her against Pike.

\- "Back off, Bellamy." –Echo warned me.

\- "Yeah, I'm gonna need some space."

I had failed to see the smile on Sam's face before she moved. She elbowed Echo on the ribs, managing to get rid of her as Echo stumbled back, moving the blade back with her, slightly cutting Sam's neck; nothing major, just like a paper cut. I tried to reach Sam to pull her back, but Kane stopped me once more as she took out Oreth's blade.

\- "You've chosen the wrong person to mess with."

\- "You're bleeding." –Echo spat at Sam, moving towards her, raising her sword- "You're weak, Jusheda, pathetic."

\- "Bleeding doesn't make you weak; giving up does." –Sam stood her ground, fighting Echo back with ease- "If I got rid of you and I'm pathetic, what does that make you, huh?" –she pushed Echo back with all her force and put her blade down- "I have better things to do."

\- "So quick to run away from a fight? Commander of Blood might be a little out of your reach..." –Echo rose her sword once more, but Sam didn't flinch.

\- "The only reason I haven't put my blade through your heart..." –Sam answered with poison in her voice to Echo, who seemed to be very pleased with herself but, knowing Sam, not for long- "... is because I consider Roan a friend."

\- "You declared war on Azgeda, he's our King."

\- "Lexa did me a favor by getting rid of your Queen; she was the problem I wanted to get rid of and, now that she's dead, I have nothing against your clan. However, if you ever want to pick up a fight and die, you know where to find me."

And with that offer in mind, which sounded more like a threat to me, Sam moved back through the crowd, quickly disappearing in it as the Grounders made way for her. I remembered Sheda's words: "People in Polis know who Sam is".  _They really seem to._

\- "Look around you." –Echo spoke now that Sam was gone, forcing me back from my thoughts- "Skaikru did this to us; because of them, Ontari, your rightful Commander, is dead." –she pointed at Clarke- "This impostor stole the Flame."

\- "No, Wanheda saved us." –Kane took a step forward as Abbie pulled Clarke back with her, protectively- "All of us, Skaikru and Grounder alike."

\- "There would have been nothing to save us from if not for you."

\- "Azgeda has no authority here."

\- "We do now. In the name of King Roan, as rightful caretakers of the throne of the Commanders, Polis is now under Azgeda rule."

\- "Like hell it is." –another Grounder walked up to her, probably one of the leaders of another clan- "Where's your war chief, girl?"

\- "Our war chief is dead, ambassador. As a member of the Queen's guard, command of the army has fallen to me until the King awakens."

\- "If he awakens." –the ambassador was quick to reply before addressing the crowd- "Until a new Commander can ascend, Polis is to be ruled by Ambassadors of the Coalition; if Azgeda wants it, they must take it by force."

As she turned around to face Echo once more, she rose her blade and slit the ambassador's neck in one swift motion.

\- "Consider it taken." –Echo smiled- "No Skaikru leaves this city." –she looked at me- "That includes, Jusheda."

She rose her bloody blade to the sky and chanted for Azgeda, all her people cheering with her.  _This can't be good._

**\-------------------------------**

We are back with another part of my  ** _Sweet Release_**  series - rewriting  _The 100_. Thoughts, votes, comments and feedback are honestly appreciated so hard around here... feel free to leave me some!

Also, the trailer for S6 dropped today and I have  _ **so**  many_ opinions...


	2. The new order.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azgeda wants to wipe out Skaikru but, as it happens, Clarke was a plan; meanwhile, Sam tries to deal with her very little sister.

**SAM'S POV**

_Do I look like I give a fuck about who rules this place? Because I really don't. Don't stand in my way, I won't stand in yours; simple as that._ Everyone around me was busy dealing with the wounded or moving the bodies of the dead around. _I guess mourning will have to wait, again. I have to find Lila, I promised Sheda I'd take care of her when he wasn't around... although that meant when he left to talk to Lexa or had a meeting with someone... this is not how it was supposed to go._ I felt a tear running down my face.  _Fuck, Sheda! I'm sorry... I'd have never had sent you here... you should have come with me to see Luna and maybe..._

\- "Sam!"

\- "Sam, you okay?"

I turned to where the voices were coming from finding the worried eyes of both Murphy and Emori; I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes and put a smile on.

\- "Everything's good."

\- "Sam..."

\- "I'll be okay, I just have a lot of mourning to do..." –I approached them- "It was good you were gone for the past month at least, trust me."

\- "What happened?" –Murphy placed his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it- "Talk to us."

\- "Remember Lincoln?" –he nodded- "It's a very long story but..." –I sniffled.

\- "Let's sit down and you can tell us about it."

\- "I have to find someone else but, if you join me, I can go over it for you."

\- "Who are we looking for?"

\- "A little girl, I hope she'll be at her house..." –Emori nodded as Murphy rose an eyebrow at me- "All in good time, don't worry."

* * *

 

Emori moved to my left and Murphy to my right as we started walking around the city looking for Lila while I told them both about it all; I don't know where I found the strength not to break into a sobbing mess but, as we got to Sheda's house, I had summarized it all for them.

\- "I wish I had been there with you, Sam, I'm sorry."

\- "It's not your fault, M; it was probably for the best that you left." – I smiled at him- "I mean, after all, how else would you have met Emori, huh?" –I chuckled.

\- "Life hasn't been easy for you down here."

\- "I'll survive." –I shrugged my shoulders at Emori's comment- "You both stay together; I don't know what's going to happen now but, if you have to leave, I understand. I know we'll meet again, you always manage to come back."

\- "I asked Emori to come back to Arkadia with me."

\- "If anyone gives you shit there, mention my name." –I smiled- "I'm sure that'll help."

\- "If that doesn't work, I thought we could go back to where I used to be." –Emori whispered next to me, almost unsure, as if asking for permission.

\- "You should go wherever you are safe, it's not worth it... staying here just because we are."

\- "What about you?"

\- "I can't leave. Lila... I have to take care of her." –I looked at them- "I have to ask you not to tell anyone about her, please."

\- "Your secret's safe with us."

\- "You're afraid they'd hurt her?" -Murphy asked me as I nodded thankfully at Emori.

\- "After everything that happened with Pike, I have trust issues regarding Skaikru, yes."

\- "We won't say anything."

\- "You both get ready to leave." –I tried to open the door of the house but it was locked from inside so I took a deep breath, trying to calm down- "I'll deal with this and, if you go back to Arkadia, I'll see you there; if you leave somewhere else, I just hope you'll be happy and safe, maybe I'll even go out to find you once shit calms down here and I...."

\- "If we don't go to Arkadia..." –Emori placed a hand on my shoulder- "I'll make sure to leave word of where we are going for you."

\- "I owe you."

\- "You don't." –she chuckled.

\- "For taking care of Murphy." –I smiled- "He's family, I don't have much of that now."

\- "Aww, Sam...." –Murphy placed his arm around me- "You're family too."

\- "Ugh, next time I'll just whisper things to Emori." –I chuckled- "Go and, please, stay safe."

\- "You too."

After Murphy and Emori left, I faced the door once again.  _If she's dead too, I'm really going to leave... I don't wanna hurt anyone just because they are at the wrong place at the wrong time._ Which was the main reason I didn't want Murphy and Emori there with me; I'd been lacking on my ability to deal with rage and exploiting was more than an option at this point.  _Alright, Sam, deep breaths and..._  I tried the doorknob one more time just in case, still not opening.

\- "Lila!" –I yelled as I knocked on the door- "Lila, it's Sam!" –no answer- "I'm coming in, alright? Get away from the door if you're there!"

 _I mean, how hard can it be to kick down the door, right?_ Well, apparently, harder than anticipated. I kicked the door, slammed my whole-body weight against it but it didn't even creak.  _God, Sheda, you had to have the strongest door in the city too or what?_ I grunted in annoyance, moving back as much as I could in the narrow alley to get a running start once more when someone grabbed me by the arm.

\- "You're going to break something."

\- "Are you here to be of any assistance or to tell me about that offer?"

\- "Allow me."

I crossed my arms over my chest, clearly unamused for I didn't think he'd manage to open it in one trial; but he did and turned to look at me, moving his arm in front of me, offering me to go in first.

\- "You only got it open because I did all the work." –I rubbed my arm- "Now, what do you want?"

\- "You're not safe here... yet."

\- "Have I ever been safe here, Ulger?" –I moved towards the house -not expecting an answer for I didn't need it- stepping over the door as he tried to follow me inside- "No, you aren't coming in."

\- "What are you looking for?" –he questioned as he looked inside curiously moving his head from one side to the other.

\- "What do you care?" –I pushed him back, not even bothering to be careful with him; Azgeda or not, he wasn't going inside.

\- "I got the door open."

\- "Because you wanted to, I didn't make you."

Before he could answer me, voices came from the street, calling for him but he was quick to cut them off as he pushed me inside; I was about to protest when I heard my name.

\- "Yu don fig Jusheda au?" [Did you find Jusheda?]

\- "Nou, ba ai na." [No, but I will.]

\- "Nou Skaikru na ban op Polis. Echo's hedplei." [No Skaikru can leave Polis, Echo's orders.]

\- "Oso mafta op em hedplei nau?" [We follow her orders now?] –Ulger's tone denoted certain aversion and irritation.

\- "Gon nau." –[For now] There was a pause and I wasn't sure what to make of it- "Yu kik thru..." [You survived...]

\- "Let's make sure no Skaikru leaves Polis and then we'll talk..."–he quickly cut them off.

I heard footsteps leaving but the shadow of Ulger was still there so I got out of hiding.

\- "Why are they looking for me and why did you lie?"

\- "Long story." –he turned to look at me- "We'll talk later, make sure not to leave Polis or I'll have to go after you."

\- "As if that scared me."

I rolled my eyes as he left, but I heard something that sounded like a laugh coming from him.  _Why do I attract the weird ones?_ Now that I was sure no one was following me, I searched the lower level of the house, under the furniture, the cabinets... everything, but I couldn't find Lila.

\- "Lila! Where are you?"

I spoke out loud, not really expecting an answer as I walked up the stairs ignoring Sheda's bedroom and walking straight to hers.  _Come on, Lila._  I opened the closed door, everything seemed to slow down; there were signs of struggle and everything was a mess. I clenched my fists.  _Control yourself, Sam, breathe._ I knew I had to check the last room, but I couldn't fully bring myself to go.

\- "Lila!" –I yelled again- "I just want to know if you're okay!"

As I was about to sit on her bed, I heard a noise outside so, instead, I walked out and through the hallway, the noise from before could be heard no more but, instead, a light and low one replaced it. I took my blade out as I realized the sound came from Sheda's room, flinging open the door.

\- "Who's there? Come out. Now." –I demanded, looking around.

Nothing. I looked under the bed. Nothing.  _The closet, of course._   _If all those scary movies we used to watch on the Ark had anything in common is not to open the closet._  So, I slowly moved to the closet door, blade on one hand and I opened it.

\- "Don't hurt me! Please, don't!"

\- "Lila?" –I dropped the knife, seeing her all curled up on the corner and kneeled in front of her- "Lila, it's me, it's Sam."

\- "Is it really you?" –her voice was shaking and I understood why; she must have been approached by someone chipped before.

\- "Yes, look." –I took my blade again and gave it to her- "Here, try it." –I offered her my arm.

\- "I knew you'd come!" –she let go of the blade and jumped onto me as I caught her on my arms- "Sheda told me not to move from here, but he never came back..."

\- "Lila..." –I rose from the floor with her still on my arms.

\- "Where is he?"

I put her on the floor and motioned for her to sit on the bed next to me and I could have sworn her eyes lost half the light they had on them as she moved next to me.

\- "Lila..." –I took a deep breath, trying to remain as collected as I could- "Sheda..."

\- "He's dead." –she spoke before I could say anything- "He's dead isn't he!" –she rose from the bed and started running downstairs- "Where is he!"

\- "Lila!" –I called as I ran after her, catching her just in time before she got out of the door, forcing her to face me- "Lila... I'm sorry... I tried..."

\- "They took him." –she started crying- "They came here and..." –she wrapped her arms around my body and started sobbing.

If my heart wasn't already shattered, this broke it completely; Lila was way too young to be experiencing this, but I guess everything was different on the Ground, considering her mother had died of some illness when she was just 2 and her father had died in some type of war against another clan which is why I knew she was all too familiar with the concept of death.  _And now, she's lost Sheda because Jaha was stupid enough to bring A.L.I.E. here, but I can't tell Lila her brother was killed by Lexa in the City of Light. What would she think then? Heda was supposed to keep them safe and, instead, she killed him. I killed him by not keeping him by my side._

\- "Was he in pain?" –Lila's quivering voice brought me back from my thoughts as she raised her head to look at me- "Where you with him?"

\- "He didn't suffer." –I kneeled in front of her so that we'd be eye-level.

\- "Where you there?" –she repeated.

\- "No." –I wiped her tears- "I had to take the chip too, that's why I know he didn't suffer, I promise."

\- "I miss him."

\- "I do too." –a tear fell down my cheek- "But he will always be with you here..." –I pointed at her head- "...and here." –I pointed at her heart.

\- "He liked you." –she wrapped her arms around my neck, the maturity she was showing leaving space for a moment for the kid she was supposed to be.

\- "I liked him too." –I embraced her in my arms, a light chuckle coming from my mouth- "He'll always be with us."

\- "I'm scared." –she pulled back to look at me.

\- "Why." –I took her hands in mine.

\- "I'm alone..."

\- "No, Lila, you are not alone. I'm going to take care of you, I'm going to make sure no one hurts you."

\- "You have to go back with Skaikru."

\- "I'm not going to leave you alone." –I squeezed her hands- "Maybe I'll have to go back to Arkadia to fix some things and make sure my friends there are okay, but I won't leave unless you're safe. I can't promise I'll be in Polis all the time, but I promise you will always be taken care of and safe; whatever it takes, alright?" –I smiled- "You are my little sister."

\- "Like Octavia?" –her eyes sparkled as she probably remembered a story I told her about O, delighted to be compared with her.

\- "Octavia is a little older than you..." –I laughed- "...but yes." –I smiled- "Once she's better, I'll introduce you to her, alright?"

\- "Is she sick?"

\- "No, not exactly; she just needs some time to think." –she nodded- "Are you hurt?" –she shook her head- "Thirsty or hungry?" –she nodded and I smiled- "Alright, come here." –I took her in my arms- "We're going to find something for you out there now, alright?"

\- "And Sheda?" –she wrapped her arm around my neck- "Will we burn him?"

\- "Yes. They are already preparing the ceremony, I'll be there with you, okay?"

\- "I love you." –she kissed my cheek- "You're nice."

\- "I love you too, Lila."

I walked with Lila in my arms, looking for somewhere where we could find her something to eat, finally coming across some of Sheda's friends who offer their condolences to us and proposed to take care of Lila and take her in their houses when I had to be out of Polis. I trusted them, I knew them, so I accepted knowing Lila knew them beforehand. They asked me to be careful with Azgeda before taking Lila with them to show her her new room for I didn't want her at her old house until I had gone over everything in there.  _I should probably do that now, fix the door, clear the mess in there, make sure his horse is alright and then see when and where the ceremony will take place so I can take Lila there so that she can say her goodbyes and then..._

\- "Sam!" –I heard Bellamy before I saw him- "I've been looking everywhere for you. I need you to come with me."

\- "I have things to do, Bellamy. What happened now?"

\- "Clarke will explain." –he didn't even let me say anything as he took my hand and started dragging me through the streets.

\- "Or, for a change, you could do the explaining." –I wanted to let go of him but at the same time I didn't; I was feeling somewhat clingy which was something I was not used to but, after everything that had happened lately, I just couldn't help it.

\- "Azgeda's put a bounty on Skaikru, they don't want us to leave the city. That includes you."

\- "That certainly explains half the looks we are getting."

\- "What?" –he turned his face to look at me.

\- "The other half is because of this." –I rose our hands as I squeezed his- "This is only putting a bigger target on your back..." –he eyed me as I finally let go of him- "I can't have that."

\- "You're not getting rid of me now that we were finally making up."

\- "I asked you to leave before, not because I wanted to get rid of you, but because I know some people around here won't hesitate to get your blood on their hands and that's something I can't..."

\- "I know, Sam..." –he cut me off- "I wanted you to come back with me because I feel the same way about you; I know they know who you are and that some of them respect you for it, but some others don't. What if I had left and Echo had hurt you? I wouldn't have been able to live with that."

\- "I can handle Echo just fine, thank you."

\- "I saw it, but still..."

\- "We agreed I was leaving to work on my shit while you worked on yours anyway, you can't protect me from the world, Bellamy."

\- "Put your words into practice then."

\- "Oh, nothing's happening to you on my watch." -I smiled- "But, considering this sudden turn of events, I'm guessing I'm not going anywhere." –I sighed- "Is it too much to ask for a moment alone without worrying about literally everyone else?"

\- "I wonder that too." –he smiled softly as he shook his head and I felt my heart skip a beat- "Once this is over, I'm taking you out..."

\- "Taking me out?" –I rose an eyebrow as I tried not to laugh- "You know that's a literal synonym for 'killing', right?"

\- "Hell, Sam, you really haven't been surrounded by good things lately, have you? I meant out of here."

\- "You are still going to have to be more specific because I can take myself out of here too."

\- "You really are going to make me say it, aren't you?"

\- "If you're trying to win me back, you're going to have to make an effort here, Blake. It's not always going to be me chasing after you."

\- "You've been chasing after me?" –he scoffed before chuckling- "Sure thing, Sam; sure thing. When we were at the tunnels when Roan was taking you to Ontari with the Flame, Miller and Bryan were talking about the future, about their future without war and having to fight..."

\- "Not to be rude, but I think they are going to have to take a seat and wait..."

\- "Shut up!" –he laughed, gaining a couple more intense looks from the Grounders around us but God, I so didn't care; I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss this side of him way too much to even bother worrying about the world outside of our bubble now- "They were talking about having their own house with animals and stuff... and that got me thinking..." –he looked at me and I could only see love in his eyes, just love, again...  _finally_ \- "I want to take you out of here and live with you near the ocean; no more fighting, loosing, bleeding or getting hurt." –his familiar smirk made its way to his features- "Unless you want us to get rough, of course."

\- "I've missed this." –was the best I could say, knowing all the heat in my body was rushing towards my face.

\- "What exactly?"

\- "You."

\- "Huh, I'd bet my t-shirt you wanna kiss me badly right now." –he spoke as we got to an empty alley and I thanked the gods no one could hear him- "Don't bother denying it, love, your face says it all." –he smirked at me again, facing me.

\- "And ruin my façade by making the Grounders realize I'm tied to Skaikru?" –I rose an eyebrow at him, the biggest smile plastered on my face after a long time- "Hell no, Blake."

\- "Glad we feel the same way..." –he looked around us, making sure no one could see us before taking my right hand- "...Blake." –he kissed my knuckles and I felt a wave of electricity running up my arm.

\- "No more lame flirting?" –I pushed him back against the wall- "Who said I was ever going to take your last name, huh?"

\- "I did because you are my sister." –Octavia showed up out of nowhere- "Are you both back on good terms? On more than good terms maybe?"

\- "We're certainly working through it." –Bellamy answered as he moved from the wall and started to walk again- "Now that I've found you both, follow me; we have to find Indra and get to the temple."

\- "More like I found you both about to make out."

\- "Working through it doesn't mean we are back to the physical stage of our relationship, O. We have to fix a lot of shit first."

\- "I was starting to think you might have begun to forget how..."

\- "Everything that's happened is engraved in my mind with blood; I could never forget about what we've been through, strisis." –I lowered my voice- "I just..."

\- "Don't feel guilty about moving on, Sam. I'll be fine."

\- "I'm not leaving you, you are my family; no one can break us apart, not even Bellamy could."

\- "I'm so glad you came with us on that trip that first day."

\- "Yeah, what would you do without me, strisis?" [Little sister]

\- "I'd be dead, biga sis." [Older sister]

**\---------------------**

**CLARKE'S POV**

Kane had been quick to give the order to the guard to get everyone from Skaikru together to escape to Arkadia while we thought of something. I was there with him and my mom, waiting for the rest to join us so that I could explain my plan. Finally, the door opened again, revealing Indra and Octavia followed by Sam as Bellamy closed the door behind him. As soon as they entered, Kane faced Indra as if he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words so, instead, Indra hugged him, which was weird to see for I had never seen her showcase emotions like that.

\- "Well?" –I asked Bellamy for information on the outside.

\- "You're not going to like it."

\- "When you destroyed the City of Light, there were a thousand Azgeda warriors inside the City of Polis."

\- "Good timing."

\- "Only way to remove them..." –Indra continued after Octavia's comment- "... is by force."

\- "Then let's remove them." –Octavia sentenced before my mom spoke.

\- "Slow down, you're talking about a war."

\- "Yes." –Indra answered- "Rockline, Flokru, and Broadleaf will join Trikru without question, but we'll still be short."

\- "This is madness." –my mom looked at me- "We should be leaving with the others while we still can."

\- "No offense, doc, but every clan knows where Arkadia is." –Sam moved next to Octavia- "What makes you think they won't come after us?"

\- "There are 8 other clans..." –Kane mumbled before looking at Indra- "How do we get them all to join us?"

\- "I can do it, but I'll need the Flame."

\- "No." –there was no room for argument here.

\- "Clarke..." –Bellamy looked at me- "The clans will follow whoever has the Flame."

\- "Azgeda won't."

\- "Then we fight." –Octavia's voice was hard- "That's the point."

\- "No, it's not."

\- "Then make them follow us." –Sam quickly interfered- "The mighty Wanheda has the Flame, they'll follow you." –her voice wasn't mocking, she meant what she was saying- "They ought to."

\- "They won't follow us, they think we caused this, you heard them out there, Sam, they asked you..."

\- "I know what some of them wanted from me." –Sam faced Bellamy, speaking in between her teeth- "I told you to leave and you didn't listen..."

\- "We have to fight back." –Octavia interrupted Sam.

\- "There's no time for a fight." –I looked at her and then at Sam- "We have to save Roan."

\- "Save him?" –Octavia scoffed- "They won't let us near him."

\- "Wait a second..." –my mom was quick to realize there was something else- "What do we not know?"

\- "Oh, yes, please." –Sam crossed her arms over her chest eyeing both me and Bellamy- "Care to share what that very secretive conversation with Raven was about?"

\- "The reason A.L.I.E. created the City of Light."

\- "Why?"

\- "Nuclear reactors inside power plants that survived the bombs are melting down, radiation levels are already rising; if we can't figure out a way to fix it, all of us will be dead in 6 months."

Everyone's faces dropped as they went over what I had just said until I heard Sam chuckle unamused.

\- "Hold the fuck up." –she massaged her temples- "You're telling me, we went over all the shit we've been through just to be wiped out by a little radiation? Hell to the no, I'm not having this."

\- "We still have six months until that." –Indra looked at me- "There are a thousand Ice Nation warriors on the street who want to kill us today."

\- "They won't kill us."

\- "How could you possibly know that?" –Octavia questioned me.

\- "Because we're gonna surrender."

\- "You gotta be kidding me." –Sam sighed, turning around as she shook her head- "I didn't just avoid a fight with Echo to surrender to her now."

\- "And you have to do this with me." –I approached her, making her face me.

\- "Out of everyone in this room you need me?" –she scoffed and I nodded- "Why do I get the feeling you don't want me because we're friends but for what they named me?"

\- "I need you because they listen to you; if you don't surrender too, they'll know we haven't either."

\- "First of all, the last thing they are thinking is the strings that still attach me to Skaikru. Second of all, not all of them listen to me; some are just afraid of me, which I don't mind..."

\- "That's exactly how Pike got in charge..." –I spoke before I thought better of it.

\- "You think I don't remember that?" –Sam clenched her jaw as I took a step back- "I've lost a lot throughout my life, Clarke, but Pike took the most out of me, so don't you fucking dare comparing us because I'm not like him at all; I'm not afraid to fight, I'm not afraid to die for what's right, I'm not afraid to do the job myself, and I'm definitively not afraid of the Grounders."

\- "Pike had a reason to fear them, Samantha; Azgeda is a ruthless clan."

\- "Pike was a manipulative scared piece of shit, I like to praise myself in being everything but that; besides, the snark from our first day was much more terrifying. You should have seen it." -she answered Kane with a smile before facing me again- "If you want me to surrender my weapons and my pride, I'm going to need a better reason."

\- "They'll kill us if we don't."

\- "Roan promised me he'd keep Skaikru safe after we got A.L.I.E. down."

\- "We have to help him; if he dies, he can't keep his promise."

\- "I hope you have a bulletproof plan, princess." –she smiled at me- "Explain."

**\---------------------**

**OCTAVIA'S POV**

As we had planned, Jaha took me inside the room where they had Roan, covered with a sheet, making it seem I was Ontari. And, as Sam had assumed, they left their healer inside with two more guards guarding him and a couple more just outside the door. Once everything was silent, I took out a short blade and cut through the sheet, checking where each Grounder was before putting my part of the plan into action: I quickly run up to both guards, for I knew the healer was an easy target, and cut their legs, making them both fall to their knees, easily allowing me to stab them on their chests, killing them. The doors opened before I could move back, revealing the other two guards.  _Fuck._

\- "You guys may want to check your backs before you even attempt to touch my sister."

I heard Sam's voice and, knowing she had me covered, I turned to get rid of the healer, taking one of the spears of the fallen guards and throwing it at him, hitting him in the face and making him fall to the floor in front of Roan's body.

\- "Talk about pinpoint accuracy now, huh?"

I turned to see Sam, cleaning Oreth's blade on her sleeve as she stood in between the two remaining guards who were now bleeding on the floor, dead.

\- "Been practicing."

\- "No shit." –she smiled at me- "Get them inside, I'll close this door."

I nodded, moving towards the lateral door in the room and opening it for Abbie and Clarke to come inside, just as we had planned.

\- "Your King's on the table." –I pointed with my head at his body.

\- "The room is clear and secure for now." –Sam was walking back towards the center of the room- "We may want to make this as fast as possible, doctors."

**\----------------------**

**BELLAMY'S POV**

After we made sure we got Echo's attention so that Octavia and Sam could clear the way into the room where they had Roan for Abbie and Clarke to save him, it was my task to keep her occupied and talking. I knew Sam and Octavia would be watching us so I couldn't risk anything going wrong, I couldn't put them in danger.

\- "She's part of the Royal Guard." –Indra was explaining to me- "Spies: that's why she's not marked, very dangerous, very loyal."

\- "Not to the people who saved her life."

\- "Bellamy, I know how you feel about her but you can't lose control."

Kane had come near us too now, I knew he was referring to me saving Echo at Mount Weather but I was also talking about how Sam defended her against Pike.

\- "You offer them technology, guns... whatever it takes to keep her talking."

\- "I didn't agree to give them guns." –Indra looked at Kane.

\- "Well, that's probably because you're not an idiot." –Murphy walked up to us and stood next to me- "Where's Sam?"

\- "She's inside, which is why I have to keep Echo talking."

\- "And..." –Kane looked at Murphy- "If you want help to help grab a weapon and stand a post."

\- "Take mine." –I handed it to him before nodding reassuringly at all of them- "I go this."

I walked to the center of the plaza where Echo and I were meeting to talk; they had it surrounded, archers everywhere pointing their arrows at me.

\- "Before you say anything..." –Echo spoke as soon as she stood in front of me- "... remember I saved your life by taking you out of Mount Weather. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you to bring the girl, but she survived just fine... and I was following orders."

\- "I wish it was that easy."

\- "I know how it feels losing people you care about to war, Bellamy, but we do what we do for our people. You slaughter us, we slaughter you." –I took deep breaths as she spoke, knowing this wasn't about just me but everyone else- "That all went away in the City of Light, but it's back now. So... here we are. What are the terms of your surrender?"

\- "We recognize the Ice Nation rule and you honor Lexa's coalition..." –I told her what I was supposed to say- "...including the 13th clan."

\- "No."

\- "We'll give you guns." –I tried to gain her interest- "And we show you how to use them."

\- "Trikru accepts this?" –she asked, looking behind me where I was sure Indra was.

\- "They're not happy about it."

\- "Not much they can do now though, is there?" –she looked at me again- "Without an army..."

I couldn't help but look down and gulp at the mention of the massacre. Ion and Lincoln had been lost to that... for different reasons but still.

\- "You were there." –the realization in Echo's voice was something I was hoping wouldn't happen- "Then you know why everyone hates Skaikru..." –her voice became thick with anger- "... and why we can never accept your terms."

\- "The alternative is war, is that what you want?"

\- "No one wants war." –she stated- "Lay down your guns and we'll let your children live. I'll give you time to decide."

She turned around to leave but I couldn't let her, they were still inside and if she found them there, she'd kill them, so I acted on impulse: I grabbed her arm, pulling her back as her people took their weapons out.

\- "Hey, I wasn't done talking."

She moved too fast for me to see it coming, she hit me with her free hand, making me let go of her, turning around and punching me in the stomach and kicking my knees, making me fall to the floor; she was quick to move after me, placing a knife to my neck.

\- "You are now."

 _Fuck._ Now they'd go inside and find them.  _Bellamy, fuck!_ I tried to think of something as she asked Skaikru and Trikru to drop their weapons but I couldn't think of anything. I soon heard the clash of metal against the floor and saw the satisfied smile on Echo's face. A Grounder took me, tying my hands as Echo started moving back inside; they brought me with them. A couple Grounder's got inside first and I heard the struggle, quickly being pushed inside to see Abbie, Clarke, and Octavia on their knees each with a Grounder keeping them still and Echo was quick to put her sword to my neck again.

\- "If that blade so much as to grazes his skin, I will personally cut your head off and wear your skin as a robe."

Sam was standing in front of the table where Roan was, her voice was harsh and rough as she looked at Echo; I could see her chest moving slowly with each breath and I knew she was trying to control it, trying not to lose control as the threat came out of her mouth.

\- "Emo don's trana slip Haihefa daun!" [They were trying to kill the King]

\- "Kill the King?" –Sam scoffed- "The only reason Roan's still alive is right in front of you." –she looked at Abbie and Clarke- "I'd say a 'thank you' is in order."

\- "Chek em au!" [Check him] –Echo pointed at Roan.

\- "Move and you bleed."

\- "You have to believe us, we were trying to save him!" –Clarke pleaded.

The next couple of seconds went by so fast in front of my eyes that, if I had blinked, I'd have missed it: Echo took her blade from my neck and moved towards Clarke, she rose her sword in front of her intending to kill her as Abbie yelled for her to stop; Sam moved her arm back to throw the blade at Echo but, before she could let go of it, Roan spoke.

\- "Wait!"

I turned my face to see Roan fully sat up behind Sam, his hand on her raised blade preventing her from killing Echo whom, as soon as she heard his voice, lowered her sword and bowed in front of him.

\- "Roan, help us!" –Clarke was the first to speak- "Tell them we're friends."

Roan started coughing as he tried to rise from the table he was sat on.

\- "You shouldn't stand up so soon!"

Abbie spoke but was quickly pulled back by the Grounder who had her on her knees. Sam was still next to him and, as he lost balance for a second, she was quick to let go of her blade to help him stay still; Roan looked at her but didn't make a move to push her away, I'd have sworn he even nodded slightly thanking her.

\- "Where's Ontari?"

\- "Dead, sire..." –Echo explained for him- "Killed by them."

\- "That'd be incorrect." –Sam looked at Echo, still holding Roan up- "A.L.I.E. killed her, not us."

\- "We couldn't save her but we did what we came here to do." –Clarke spoke next- "Now I need you to honor your promise to keep my people safe."

\- "I made that promise to Jusheda." –he eyed Sam for a second before turning to Clarke- "And that was before your people shot me and killed my Commander."

\- "We just saved your dam life!" –Octavia spat at him.

\- "Roan, your people are hungry for you to lead them; do so now as your mother would have."

\- "If you bring back her ways..." –Sam let go of him, he raising his hand to his wound and slightly losing balance for a second- "...you and I are going to have a problem."

\- "Sam..." –Clarke started but she was quick to cut her off.

\- "I won't live under another dictatorship." –she took out Oreth's blade for the shorter one was still to Roan's feet and looked at him- "Your move."

\- "Kill them both, Wanheda and Jusheda..." –Echo glanced at Clarke and Sam as she spoke- "...take their power and rule over everything."

\- "Why do you want me dead so bad is what I'd like to know."

\- "Sis em op." [Grab her]

And with Roan's words, the Grounder's holding Abbie and Clarke let go of them as they were tied and unable to escape and moved towards Sam; she was ready to fight back until a squeak from Octavia made us all turn to look at her: Echo had pulled her hair back and placed her blade to her neck.

\- "Give up." –Echo smiled at Sam- "Or she bleeds."

\- "Maybe I should have let Pike put a bullet in your brain."

Sam let go of her blade and dropped to her knees, allowing the Grounders to tie her up but not hiding the disgust and rage neither on her voice nor her eyes as we were all taken to a cell and locked up by Roan's orders. Each of us was cuffed either to the floor or the walls of the cell: Clarke and her mom next to each other on the floor, Octavia on the wall to their right, followed by Sam and Indra while Kane and I were on the other side. Abbie moved as close as she could to Clarke and they started talking about Lexa, it was nothing new for any of us how deeply Clarke loved her and she finally broke talking about her to her mom. Meanwhile, Sam refused to stay still, which wasn't new either.

\- "You won't get out, Sam."

\- "Well, not if I don't try, O." –she answered, pulling on the chains, trying to rip them from the rock.

\- "You'll hurt yourself." –I added.

\- "Nothing new here, then."

\- "Samantha, don't waste your energy."

\- "Murphy told me you got the nail keeping you to the wall out." –Sam looked at Indra- "Why don't we try that again?"

Footsteps were heard from the hallway, immediately gaining our attention as a couple Grounders walked in front of the cell.

\- "Wanheda, on your feet."

\- "Where's the King?" –Clarke asked as she rose up when Echo entered the cell- "I need to see Roan!"

We all started shouting for them to stop and leave Clarke alone as she struggled against the Grounders who ended up covering her head to get her out of there, Echo being the last one inside.

\- "You remind me of Pike." –Sam had stopped struggling, simply resting her back on the wall as she spoke- "The level of arrogance skyrocketed as soon as you came in."

\- "You don't look so terrifying up-close." –Echo answered Sam, with a smile on her face I could see as she turned to look at her.

\- "You're only so confident in yourself because I'm fettered to the wall. Why don't we lose this and go outside, huh?"

\- "Don't worry..." –Echo turned around to exit the cell- "...you're next, Jusheda."

\- "I'll take your word for it." –Sam moved as close to the door as her chains allowed her- "Or else I may have to get out of here on my own but don't worry, I'm sure your blood will look ravishing on my hands."

\- "I didn't hurt him, did I?" –Echo pointed at me with her head.

\- "Echo, I'm not good at not killing people and you're pushing all the wrong buttons. Do you want to die?"

Echo continued her way, avoiding facing Sam as she walked outside the hallway and we were only left with one guard at the door.

\- "I don't think your threat scared her." –a guard that had been locked up with us pointed out.

\- "That's because I'm not trying to scare her." –Sam looked at him- "I'm warning her."

\- "What did she mean by that?" –Abbie asked Sam- "You being next."

\- "I'm guessing she thinks Roan will kill me after Clarke to get my power or whatever." –Abbie dropped to her knees as Sam dropped them bomb- "I don't think Roan is going to kill Clarke, Abbie. If he were to, he'd make it a public thing, Azgeda would make us watch. I say she's safe for now."

\- "We have to get out of here." –I whispered, looking at my cuffs.

\- "And how'd you suggest we do that?" –Octavia asked me, making noise with her own chains as if I had forgotten we were all tied up.

\- "We'll have to wait and see." –Kane sighed, answering for me.

\- "Ai gaf in chich Ulger op." –Sam turned to the door as she spoke- "Nau." [I want to speak with Ulger. Now.]

\- "What are you doing?" –I whispered yelled at her as I saw the last Grounder there look at her before moving away.

\- "Definitively not 'waiting' and 'seeing', that's for sure." –Sam looked at Kane as she answered me.

\- "Who's Ulger?"

\- "He's Azgeda." –Sam answered Kane- "I believe he's someone of importance but..."

\- "What does he want from you."

Before Sam could answer Octavia, more noise came from the hallway to the cell and soon, the Grounder from before came followed by the one that had fought Sam before.

\- "Hon daun Jusheda au." [Take Jusheda out]

\- "I guess I'm about to find out."

Sam smiled at O as the Grounder entered the cell and carefully approached Sam to uncuff her, a completely different scene from the one that had previously taken place with Clarke; after setting her free, he made way for her to exit the cell first so that he could lock it up behind him.

\- "Sam..." –I started but she quickly cut me off.

\- "Have a little faith..." –she placed her hand on my chin and caressed my jaw with her thumb as she looked at my neck before looking into my eyes- "I got this, Blake."

She winked at me as she moved her hand away and exited the cell, warning the Grounder not to hurt us or he'd answer to her, gaining a low chuckle from Ulger.

\- "Follow me, Jusheda."

Ulger walked in front of her and Sam followed after nodding reassuringly at O and glancing at me one last time.

\- "This can't be good." –Indra spoke as soon as they were gone.

\- "What? Why?" –Octavia was quick to ask, turning to look at her- "You know him?"

\- "You heard Echo say command of Azgeda's army had fallen to her because their war chief was dead..."

\- "What does this have to do with Sam?" –I pressed her, I had to know if Sam was safe.

\- "Ulger was the war chief's second." –Indra looked at me- "Echo must have thought he was dead too..."

\- "Shouldn't that make him the new war chief instead of her?"

Indra looked towards where they had left before looking at us and answering Octavia's question.

\- "It does... your sister just willingly left alone with the most powerful person in Polis right now, and his clan wants all of us dead."


	3. You don't own me.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Sam learns who Ulger really is, she is presented with a final offer that she cannot decline; after all, this is what she does, right?

**SAM'S POV**

Did I know where I was getting myself into? No, but did I ever? No. So this was nothing far from usual for me. However, I tried to reassure both Octavia and Bellamy that I knew what I was doing; maybe, if they believed it, it would work out just fine.

\- "So, what do you want from me?" –Ulger asked me as soon as we made it out of the lockup area.

\- "I just wanted to get out of that cell." -I shrugged my shoulders, honestly.

\- "Why'd you call for me?"

\- "I had to know how important you are within Azgeda." –I looked up at him- "Apparently, pretty important since I was locked up by the King's orders and you got me out."

\- "You could say that."

\- "Who are you and what do you want from me?"

\- "Patience, Jusheda."

\- "I'm not really good at the patience game, Ulger."

\- "Someone will have to teach you then."

\- "The last person who offered to teach me something is dead, I'd advise measuring your following moves carefully."

\- "The Trikru's death?"

\- "Yeah. Sheda."

\- "I've heard things."

\- "And are you going to tell me about those or leave me in the dark?" –he stopped in front of the elevator- "Where are we going?"

\- "To see the King."

\- "He's busy with Clarke." –he looked down at me, a questioning eyebrow raised- "Wanheda."

\- "We'll have to interrupt him."

\- "I have a lot of questions and you are answering none of them, how do you expect me to trust you?" –I crossed my arms over my chest, still, following him inside the elevator.

\- "I'll answer one question honestly now, choose wisely."

\- "Why do I get the feeling you don't really want to kill me, even if I'm Skaikru?"

\- "You aren't Skaikru anymore." –he paused for a second- "Lexa named you Trikru."

\- "And you don't hate Trikru?" –I formulated it as a question but we both knew it was a sarcastic statement.

\- "Not as much as Skaikru right now."

\- "Cool, that sure makes me feel safer."

\- "You can trust I won't kill you."

\- "I guess that'll have to do for now."

We remained silent the rest of the way up and in the walk to the room where Roan was supposed to be, easy to know for a couple Azgeda warriors were guarding the doors. The whole time I was going over everything on my head.  _Looks like he wants me to trust him and he seemed to approve of my idea to get out of lockup as if he was expecting... more like hoping I'd do just that. Is this all a game to him or does he want something from me?_ We stood in front of the doors as the two guards opened them for us.

\- "Let me speak." –he turned his face to look at me, a somewhat reassuring but severe look on his face.

\- "Whatever keeps me alive."

\- "Silent people don't make mistakes."

He nodded before entering the room. I followed.  _People make mistakes by not standing up but whatever, I guess._  Roan was looking out of the balcony with Clarke, who was untied and looked unharmed, standing next to him.

\- "Sire." –Ulger announced our presence to Roan.

\- "What's the meaning of this?" –Roan looked at Ulger, startled by the interruption, and then seemed to realize I was there too- "Jusheda." –he turned to face Ulger- "What are you trying to do?"

\- "Sam?"

Clarke looked at me and made a move to come towards me but Ulger raised his arm in front of me, almost protectively; any other time I would have laughed, but Ulger had warned me about talking and my best guess was laughing was also off the table. I nodded at Clarke, trying to let her know I was okay so that Ulger wouldn't try anything against her and, seeing she had dropped her intentions of moving my way, Ulger lowered his arm.  _Wait, was that protective or possessive? Because I don't need the former and despise the latter. We're going to have a problem._

\- "What are you doing with Jusheda?"

\- "Roan, who is this?" –Clarke had a concerned look on her face.

\- "He's my War Chief."

I almost choked on my saliva.  _Have I just started a relationship? A friendship? An alliance? With Azgeda's War Chief unintentionally? Wao, Sam, awesome move._ I chuckled to myself at my own thoughts.  _That was unexpected, although it does kind of explain his fighting skills, I suppose..._

\- "Wait, Echo said your War Chief was dead." –Clarke moved next to him- "She said the command of the army had fallen on her."

\- "She was wrong." –Ulger took a step forward- "The command of the army has fallen to me as the War Chief's second, not to that spy."

\- "You knew about this?" –Clarke faced me.

\- "No."

\- "You trust him?"

\- "He got me out of lockup, he's doing a better job than Roan at gaining and keeping my trust so far."

\- "Your people shot me."

\- "I tried to help you but I guess you were too worried whining about the bullet on..."

\- "Jusheda."

\- "What!" –I faced Ulger, caring very little right now about the consequences- "I tried to help your King and he decided the best way to repay me was locking me up to cut my head later if he fancied it." –I scoffed- "Which reminds me..." –I looked at Roan- "I want my blades back; if Echo has any of them, I'll gladly tear them from her cold body."

\- "You don't like her very much, do you?" –Ulger had a smile on his face.

\- "Well, I don't particularly appreciate her putting a blade to the neck of my people to threaten me." –I eyed him- "If you have a problem with me, you fix it with me."

\- "I have an offer." –he announced, nodding approvingly at me before looking at Roan.

 _About damn time I get the information._  Roan nodded and walked away from us, followed by Ulger and, since I thought the offer was in there for me too, I tried following them, but Ulger stopped me.

\- "Not now."

\- "I thought you said you had an offer for me; at the beginning, I thought it came from Roan but, seeing this... What do you want from me?"

\- "Let me talk to Roan." –he looked behind me for a second- "It seems you have some explaining to do."

\- "Me? Explaining?" –I scoffed- "To whom?"

I turned around to see a rather unamused Clarke staring at me and Ulger. I shook my head as I made my way towards her.

\- "Are you okay?"

\- "What are you doing?"

\- "That doesn't answer my question."

\- "And that doesn't answer mine." –she pulled me further away from them- "What are you doing with the Ice Nation's War Chief?"

\- "In my defense, I didn't know he was the War Chief."

\- "Now you know." –she glanced over my shoulder at Roan and Ulger before lowering her voice- "Roan has told me his army is not loyal to him."

\- "And how exactly did he plan on overrunning Arkadia?" –I had to laugh.

\- "He wanted to kill us both and gain their trust, just like Echo suggested."

\- "He listens to Echo now? The King does as the spy wants? Now, that's just great." -I rolled my eyes- "Although it's not surprising considering their dumb idea of power being something that floats out of someone's body and their killer absorbs it; if that were true, you and I would be close to indestructible."

\- "Well, Sam, you may believe that, but they don't. I offered him the Flame."

\- "Wait, what!" –I yelled-whispered at her- "You're telling me he wants to kill us and you want to give him the only thing we can use to trade. I'm lost, Clarke, very lost."

\- "I already gave it to him."

\- "And...?"

\- "I don't know."

\- "Well, he needs the clans to follow him." –I turned around to look at Roan and Ulger- "I'd assume with the Flame he'll get that."

\- "That's what I said; if he has the Flame no Commander can ascend if he doesn't allow it, he could choose whoever he wanted."

\- "I hope that's enough to save both our heads, princess." –I smiled at her and she shook her head.

\- "I hope so too. Now, Ulger. Explain."

\- "I don't know. He's been saying he has an offer for me but has made no actual move on it; I thought it came from Roan but, apparently, I was wrong."

\- "What do you think it could be?"

\- "I don't know but I already warned him... last person who made me a deal, died."

\- "I'm sorry about Sheda."

\- "I am too." –I sighed- "I'm sorry for yelling at you, I know it wasn't your fault; Lexa protected you and you got A.L.I.E. down, that was what we came here to do. You saved us."

\- "If there's anything I can do..."

\- "Keep us alive." -I whispered as Ulger and Roan walked back to us- "So?"

\- "We have a deal." –Roan looked at Clarke who let out a sigh of relief- "And you..." –he looked at me leaving the words in the air for Ulger to continue.

\- "You're to join me."

\- "Join you?"

\- "It's time to explain my final offer: we let Skaikru leave Polis as Roan remains to rule here and as legitimate caretaker of the Flame until another Commander can ascend."

I checked on Clarke, who nodded letting me know that was the whole point of this, so I looked at Ulger and nodded too.

\- "Where's the catch?"

\- "We let Skaikru leave, but that doesn't mean we'll honor Lexa's coalition."

\- "What!" –I had to hold Clarke back as she lost it a little- "Roan!"

\- "Silence, Wanheda, this is between Jusheda and I." –Ulger approached me, towering over me, threateningly- "Azgeda will honor said coalition, including Skaikru if Jusheda joins us."

\- "Joins you in and for what?" –I took a step towards him; if he thought the height difference was gonna frighten me, he was wrong.

\- "You join me to continue and better the training you got from Trikru, as I'm sure you have a lot to learn still; you plead loyalty to the Ice King and remain at Polis where I can keep an eye on you."

\- "You want me to willingly become your prisoner?"

\- "I want you to repay the debt you owe me."

\- "A debt?" –I raised my voice- "I don't owe you shit, Ulger. I'm not your fucking puppet!" –I looked at Roan- "Tell me your asshole isn't serious."

\- "Roan needs the army and the army follows me." –Ulger had an impertinent, pleased smile on his face and I was starting to lose my temper- "Accept or the army marches on Arkadia tomorrow at dawn. Your choice."

\- "That's not a fucking choice." –I turned to look at Clarke, pulling her away from them- "You take everyone out of Polis as soon as Roan announces his decision and..."

\- "You can't accept that, Sam."

\- "I don't want to become his toy either but there's no alternative, you heard him, he'll wipe Arkadia out of the map if he gets the chance. This is worse than Echo, at least she stated she'd let the children live..."

\- "Sam..."

\- "It's okay, Clarke." –I squeezed her shoulders- "I'll survive, but promise me you won't tell anyone about this arrangement. No one. Not Octavia, not Bellamy not your mom, not Kane."

\- "Sam..."

\- "Promise me."

She looked behind me and then at the floor. I needed her to keep it quiet, I knew I could handle this, for the sake of my friends.  _Fuck, Jasper is going to be so pissed. I need to find a way to go back to see him. And Raven. And the rest. Fuck._

\- "There's no other way, Clarke. Please."

\- "I know." –she looked up at me- "Stay safe."

\- "You find a way to save us from... you know, and I'll deal with that asshole back there."

\- "Be careful."

\- "He doesn't scare me." –she looked ready to protest but I cut her- "I'll survive."

I took a deep breath and turned around to face both males, followed by Clarke.

\- "I accept your deal and your terms."

\- "We'll start by..."

\- "I wasn't finished." –I cut him off, I might have to do this, but that didn't mean I was about to become submissive- "I got a couple requests."

\- "Speak them."

\- "I want all my blades back." –he nodded- "I want my bow and my horse that's back in Arkadia." –he nodded again- "And I'll assure you, if you break the deal, I'll cut your head off; you hurt my people, you bleed."

\- "It's settled then. We're done here, Jusheda." –he smiled at me- "Sire."

He bowed to Roan and left the room, his arrogant attitude made me sick; there was something off, I just couldn't put my finger on it.  _Maybe he's just trying to maintain his image in front of Roan, they can't afford to look weak. I can't either._

\- "I..." –Roan started.

\- "Save it." –I cut him off, raising my hand in front of him- "I really tried to save your life; sure, I also killed a couple of your guards to get Clarke and Abbie here to fix your chest but no big deal. I hope you know I have no intentions of pleading real loyalty to you; I haven't followed Arkadia's idiots, I'm not about to start following you."

\- "But Sam, Ulger..."

\- "Let me handle Ulger; he will buy my lies, they always do." –I turned around to leave- "Now I'm going to free my people that you, Sire, got locked up for no real reason."

**\---------------------**

**CLARKE'S POV**

I watched Sam go, carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders, yet again. I couldn't believe what had just happened, she had basically sold her life for... us? And now I had to lie to everyone about it.  _I don't understand how we get ourselves in these situations..._

\- "She'll be safe." –Roan walked towards the door to leave too.

\- "It doesn't look like it."

\- "Ulger might be haughty at times but he wants Jusheda on his side."

\- "But why?"

\- "She's more powerful than she knows."

He opened the doors and soon enough I heard a loud thud that came from the hallway. I thought he might have fallen due to the blood loss and lack of balance but, as I made my way out, I had to avoid him to see what had really happened out there: two guards where are the other side of the hallway as if blocking the way, Sam was lying on the floor in what looked like potential disadvantage towards Ulger, who was standing over her with a blade pointed at her heart.

\- "Sam! What are you doing?!"

\- "Rearranging the terms of our accord." –she spat some blood- "And stating a point, what does it look like to you?" –she turned her face my way, she looked entertained.

\- "Which was what exactly?"

\- "I don't own her, got it." –Ulger offered his hand for Sam to raise from the floor- "You have a lot to learn from us."

\- "Lucky for both of us, I have a reputation for being a fast learner." –Sam took his hand and he helped her up, holding her too close for my liking, forcing her to raise her head to look at him.

\- "That should make things easier." –he let go of her hand- "Your weapons." –he made a move for the two guards to approach them as they were, in fact, carrying Sam's blades- "The guard on the cells will set your people free, just drop my name."

\- "I still want my bow and my horse."

\- "It'll be better if we first learn to trust the other."

And with that, Ulger left followed by both guards. I couldn't help but think that Sam kept attracting the weirdest people but, again, she wasn't particularly average either.

\- "Listen, training with Sheda was hard the first days." –Sam faced me as she placed her blades in her vest- "But I'm getting a feeling this is going to be worse, much worse."

\- "It probably will." –I conceded, checking her forehead.

\- "Ulger is known for being merciless and ruthless, if you pick up everything he teaches you, you could become War Chief yourself."

\- "Take it easy Roan, I'll settle for being so lethal, no one will dare touching my people." –Sam moved a hand in front of him to shush him- "What now?"

\- "I'll make the announcement." –he answered Sam and then looked at me- "After that, you can leave Polis and do what you ought to do."

\- "Great, let's go get our people." –Sam pulled me towards the elevator.

\- "You're bleeding." –I pointed out as soon as we got inside and it started moving down.

\- "Are we surprised?" -she touched her forehead.

\- "Sam, this is serious, you heard Roan..."

\- "If Ulger wanted me dead, he'd have killed me the second time."

\- "The second time?"

\- "Oh, because the first time we fought, I beat him." –she chuckled, cleaning her bloody lip- "I told you, I'm going to be just fine."

\- "I hope so." –I handed her a bandage I was still carrying from when we took the bullet out of Roan's chest- "Your forehead... that's gonna be hard to hide."

\- "We'll tell them I got in a fight, it won't surprise them and it's technically true."

\- "I don't know for how long I can keep this a secret, especially from Bellamy and Octavia; they know you too well. Even Jasper and Raven will ask about you and..."

\- "Hey, Clarke." –she placed her hands on my shoulders, a reassuring smile on her face- "I don't want you to lie to them for me, I'll do it; you just avoid the topic, make them seem you're mad at me or something."

\- "That's lying still."

\- "Lie to protect them, then." –the doors of the elevator opened as we got to the lockup level- "I'll tell them the whole truth when I know the time's right. One by one, on my own."

She got out before me and started walking, already knowing the place as I heard her speak with the Grounder, her voice followed by Bellamy's and Octavia's asking her what had happened and my mom asking about me.  _I hope this works out._

**\------------------------**

**BELLAMY'S POV**

Ulger had taken Sam at least an hour ago, I was starting to get more worried than usual and Indra's note on who Ulger really was had done nothing but to instigate my fear for Sam's life; I knew Abbie was worried about Clarke and Kane was worried about Abbie, same way I knew Indra was worried about Octavia who was worried about Sam... just like I was. She had given up on trying to get out a while ago. All of a sudden, as I was starting to think of all the possible things that could have happened to her, she showed at the cell's door which the Grounder outside lost no time to open.

\- "Sam!" -I yelled as soon as I saw her- "You're okay!"

\- "I told you I had it under control, boss." -she followed the Grounder inside- "Breik em au."

The Grounder lost no time to set my hands free and, as soon as he did, I wrapped my arms around Sam.

\- "I thought something happened."

\- "You need to start worrying less. Stress makes you old, you know?" -Sam chuckled against my neck- "Come on, we have to go."

She spoke with Octavia for a moment as I realized Clarke had joined us too, quickly running to her mom who was on the verge of tears now.

\- "What happened?" -Kane asked as we made our way out of there.

\- "Roan is about to announce that he's going to honor Lexa's coalition." -Clarke explained as I realized Sam had her eyes glued to her- "We're free to go back to Arkadia to find a solution to Praimfaya."

\- "He didn't want anything in return?" -I asked Clarke but I kept my eyes on Sam.

\- "He has the Flame." -Sam answered me, as everyone got out of the elevator- "What else could he want?"

\- "What did Ulger want from you?" -I pulled her to stay behind with me, letting the rest walk towards the plaza where Azgeda would make their announcement- "Don't lie to me."

\- "Why do you assume he wanted anything from me?"

\- "You got in a fight with him, didn't you?" -I moved the hair away from her face, revealing a fresh small wound on her forehead- "Why?"

\- "He failed to inform me of his current title." -she clenched her jaw- "I don't take well when people hide stuff from me."

\- "Is that it?"

\- "Please, if you can think of anything else that I could be hiding, let me know." -she smiled at me and started moving again- "Come on, we have to be there. We don't want to seem disrespectful to the King."

I chose to believe her, for there was no reason for her to lie to me now, or hide anything from me. If there was anything else, Clarke would tell me or I'd find out, hopefully, sooner than later. We arrived to see Roan up with his crown and the ambassadors of every other clan on a podium.

\- "I know you've all come here for an execution..." -he started and I couldn't help but reach to grab Sam's hand in mine, she didn't move, just simply intertwined our fingers together- "... but no one else will die here today. The City of Light has fallen and there is no Commander left to rule us; until another Nightblood ascends, I -King Roan of Azgeda, eldest son of Nia, grandson of Theo- am caretaker of the throne and keeper of the Flame."

Someone yelled something in Trig that I obviously didn't get but it seemed to catch Sam's attention as she looked around.

\- "Until another ascends, Azgeda honors and will defend the coalition of the last true Commander: Lexa kom Trikru; including the 13th clan." -people started murmuring around us, looking at us but Sam squeezing my hand was a reminder that I was not alone in this- "Let it be known that an attack against Skaikru is an attack against us all."

After Roan's speech, it was decided that we were to leave as soon as possible as Ulger came to talk with us.

\- "Echo will come with a symbol of our clan for your people to use wherever they go..." -he addressed Sam- "To let people know you're part of the coalition."

\- "Such a nice gesture coming from you, huh?"

\- "They should leave while they still can."

\- "What's that supposed to mean?" -I asked him as he started to move back, ignoring me.

\- "Drop it." -Sam pulled me back- "Trust me."

I allowed her to get me out of there, followed by the rest. We made it to the street that got to the exit of the city to wait for Echo, who didn't take long to show up.

\- "From your King." -she handed me the package- "With this, you'll be safe in any of our lands." -I tried to take it but she pulled it back- "You think we'll ever be able to trust each other again?"

"I doubt it." -I answered honestly and she nodded, taking a couple steps back to look at everyone behind me.

\- "Welcome back to the coalition." -her eyes focused on someone behind me- "I guess I'll be seeing more of you from now on."

\- "Don't get in my way and I won't get in yours."

Sam answered before I could turn around to see who Echo was talking to; the latter nodded and moved away from us as I walked back to the group, my eyes on Sam.

\- "Time to go."

\- "We'll do our best to keep the King on his throne." -Kane reassured us, for we had previously agreed he'd stay as our clan's ambassador.

\- "We'll find a way to beat the radiation."

\- "If either of you screws this up, we die." -Octavia's words of reassurance where the top on the cherry that day- "No pressure."

\- "This is serious, O." -I faced her- "If anyone finds out why Roan helped us, it'll be every clan for itself; the King will fall and they'll come after us."

\- "Leave that to me." -Sam moved next to Octavia- "No one is going after you... after Skaikru."

\- "It's getting dark, let's do this." -Clarke moved to say goodbye to her mom before I could even process Sam's words- "May we meet again."

\- "You turn the page." -Kane offered me his hand to sake and so I did but, as I let go, he pulled me back- "You turn the page and you don't look back, you do better today than you did yesterday, you understand?" -I nodded- "Before you know it, you'll deserve to survive."

\- "I hope so."

I said goodbye to O and so did Clarke, I was expecting Sam to come with us but, instead, she pulled me away from Kane and Abbie and into a hug; I handed Clarke the package Echo had handed me and wrapped my arms around Sam.

\- "I'm sorry." -she whispered into my neck.

\- "Sam, what are you not telling me?"

\- "I can't go back."

\- "Why?" -I pulled back to look her in the eyes- "What happened?" -and then, it hit me- "What did Ulger want? What does he have on you?"

\- "I can't tell you now. I need you to leave with Clarke and find a way to survive because you already deserve it."

\- "Please, tell me you aren't playing with your life again to save us." -I held her face in my hands.

\- "You know I can't." -the sad smile on her face confirmed all my worries- "There was no other way."

\- "There's always another way."

\- "Not this time." -she forced me to let go of her face as she moved her hands inside my jacket, holding me closer and that frightened me; it was as if she were trying to print her body shape onto mine so that I would remember her- "But I promise I have it under control."

\- "I don't want to leave you, I hate this... feeling like I'm always leaving you behind... I need to know you're safe."

\- "But you know it's what you have to do, boss." -she looked up at me- "You’re not leaving me behind, I’m choosing to stay. Don’t worry, I'll come back." -she smirked and, for a second, I felt slightly more at ease- "After all, I promised Jasper I was coming back, I can't let him down, you know? I have a reputation to uphold."

\- "I don't care what reason you choose to come back to Arkadia, I just need you to come back home, to come back to me." -I rested my chin on her head- "I know there's something you have to do and I know I do no good here, I know we're part of the Coalition and that we are supposed to be safe... but you, Sam, you're different from all of us, I know most Grounder's wouldn't dare put their hands on you, even if the Coalition weren't standing, but I know the Ice Nation is not one of them..."

\- "I have a deal with Ulger." -she finally confessed.

\- "Last time you made a deal with someone, I thought I was loosing you."

\- "Take this as the time to work on your shit while I work on mine."

\- "You're not precisely leaving to the forest, to be alone and have time to think, Sam."

\- "I'll take care of, O. We'll be safe." -she pulled back- "I promise."

\- "I'll see you soon, love."

\- "You're not kissing and leaving, Blake." -she chuckled, caressing my cheek- "I'll see you soon. Now, take the princess and go, I don't like saying goodbye so leave before I fuck shit up."

\- "Wait..." -I pulled her back- "Don't you want your bow? Come with me to the Rover and..."

\- "Take it, give me a reason to go back to Arkadia soon."

\- "I'll keep it safe."

\- "Keep your ass safe."

\- "If you're trying to get in my pants..." -I smirked at her as she smiled- "...you're going the right way."

\- "Been there." -she looked at Clarke- "Take him and leave. We'll see you soon."

Clarke nodded at Sam and forced me to turn around to leave Polis, not without stealing a last look at Sam who was now next to Octavia, arms crossed over her chest and smile on her lips, sending a wink my way as she saw me looking at her. I turned around with only one thing in mind: finding out from Clarke what Ulger had on Sam to come back and take her with me.  _My girl, my responsibility._


	4. The taste of blood.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam confesses to Octavia the real reason why she stayed back in Polis as she goes about her new specialized training.

**OCTAVIA'S POV**

For some reason, Sam had stayed at Polis with us choosing to stay at Sheda's house, which I knew had to be hard for her. It had only been two days since Bellamy and Clarke left and, as I was walking around the city, I found her coming from the training grounds with a bloody nose.  _Two days, two days and she's already bleeding... this has to be a new record._

\- "Sam!" –I ran up to her- "What the fuck happened now?"

\- "Oh, this?" –she smiled pointing at her nose- "Training."

\- "What?" –I looked around us, finding a piece of cloth and taking it from the stand it was on- "Here, put pressure on it."

\- "I think it's broken."

\- "Who broke your nose while training?"

\- "Ulger... Azgeda's war chief..."

\- "Yeah, yeah, I know who he is; what are you doing with him?"

\- "Long story. I'm going to see Abbie now." –she kept walking but turned around as she realized I wasn't following- "Care to join your sister on this wonderful afternoon?"

\- "You're so annoying."

\- "Likewise." –she laughed but soon enough her face contorted in pain- "Fuck me, honestly..."

\- "You okay?"

\- "I wanna rip his head off." -she made a pause- "I will rip his head off."

\- "You still haven't told me why you accepted this; it looks stupid, even for you."

\- "Wao, thank you, O." –she looked at me and for a second I had to hold my laughter; I knew she was fine because she was standing but seeing her, covered in blood with a cloth to her nose, covering half her face and an annoyed scold on her eyes was starting to be too much- "Stop laughing at me before I break your nose."

\- "Sorry. You just look..."

\- "Ulger doesn't have the mindset Sheda, Ion and Oreth had of showing moves and then practicing them. No, why would he?" –she scoffed annoyed- "Instead he just goes ahead and comes at me unannounced, which I get because in a real battle you don't go around announcing yourself but damn, I can't wait to get his blood on my hands. I'm starting to think the first times he held back which was deceiving. Fuck, I should have seen this one coming."

\- "If anyone can get Azgeda's war chief to bleed, that's you, Sam."

\- "Thank you." –I could see half her smile pocking from the side of the, now, red cloth- "I'm glad you found me, I have a couple things to tell you."

\- "I'm all ears for you."

\- "I had to take the deal not because I wanted to but because there was no other option; Ulger threatened to wipe out Arkadia, since the army is loyal to him, if I didn't stay in Polis so that he could "train me" ..." –she air-quoted the words for me with her free hand- "..., keep an eye on me and... oh, I also have to plead loyalty to Roan..." –I opened my mouth to protest for there was no way that was happening but she cut me off- "...which I don't intend on doing, but Ulger doesn't need to know that."

\- "I'm sorry, Sam." –I didn't know what to say now- "You're always caught in the middle of things."

\- "That may have to do more with the Jusheda thing but sure." –she chuckled- "Fuck, it hurts to laugh, this is so not a fun time."

\- "Abbie will have something for you." –I squeezed her shoulder reassuringly- "Did you tell anyone about this?"

\- "No. I mean, Clarke knows because she was there when Ulger opened his big-ass mouth, but no one else knows." -she tilted her head as if she has just remembered something- "Well, I told Bellamy I had to stay because I had a deal with Ulger but he doesn't know what it is." –she eyed me before her tone became matter-of-factly- "He doesn't need to know."

\- "It's not like we are back to how we used to be for me to tell him anything at all."

\- "O..."

\- "No, Sam. I lost Lincoln to a bullet because Bellamy put Pike in charge."

\- "I know, I was there; I haven't forgotten." –she sighed- "But you look better, did killing Pike bring you peace?"

\- "That was justice. It'll have to do for now."

\- "Agreed." –she nodded- "Well, there's something else I have to tell you about." –I rose a questioning eyebrow- "Where have you been living these past two days?"

\- "Here and there..."

\- "O, come live with me at Sheda's."

\- "Sam..."

\- "I hate being there alone." -she confessed, her voice became softer, allowing me to feel her pain- "It gives me time to think and that reminds me of him and I can't... that's why I've been training almost 24/7 with Ulger, I can't let it go..."

\- "If it means that much to you..." –I stopped walking, making her face me for I knew Sheda meant a lot to Sam and she needed me- "I'll be there. I'm always here for you, sister."

\- "Awesome, because there's someone who'd love to meet you."

\- "What?"

My mind started running all the possible scenarios.  _Someone?_

\- "Tell you about it later, I don't want anyone else to know about this, alright?"

\- "About what?" –I pressed her, I had to know what this meant, I was so confused.

\- "You'll know when you meet her."

\- "Her?! If we hadn't been glued together most our time down here, I feel I'd have to ask if you and..."

\- "Do you really think I want to have kids? Even better, do you think I'm the motherly type?" –she laughed at me, probably seeing my bewildered expression as I tried to puzzle her cryptic words together- "Ugh, I need a new nose, I can't laugh and this is the worst feeling in the world."

\- "More than being stabbed? Or that a bullet?"

\- "On, trust me, this is so much worse!"

I laughed for both of us; I loved Sam deeply, I didn't know what I'd have been without her; it was not only that her personality fitted so well with mine, but her constant support and love towards me meant much more to me that I cared to admit.

**\----------------**

**SAM'S POV**

After Abbie took care of my nose and I set everything with Octavia to come live with me at Sheda's, I left to find some food for dinner but, before I could do it, I was intercepted by the last person I ever wanted to see, pulling me to a secondary street. Sketchy as they came.

\- "You really need to learn manners."

\- "You left training without being dismissed."

\- "You broke my nose without being invited."

\- "I could break much more than just your nose for disobeying me."

\- "Hey, let's get something straight here: you are the one that wanted to train me but this seems more like you want to break me, and I don't like that so I won't have it."

\- "Am I being too harsh on the weak Jusheda?"

\- "Call me weak one more time..."–I hissed between my teeth, taking a couple steps towards him, forcing him to back down slowly, pointing my finger at his chest- "...and I'll break your nose."

\- "Where is all this aggression in the training ground?" –he took my finger in his hand, my eyes widening as I realized all too late he could break it if he wanted to,  _well fuck_ \- "This training is not meant for just anyone, the only reason I'm taking you in is because I believe you can be a lethal assassin and I could use one of those."

\- "Wait, what?" -my eyebrows furrowed as I tried to see this through.

\- "Oh, you surely didn't expect this to be some type of Trikru-defend-your-honor type of bullshit, right?"

\- "Don't talk about Trikru like that. I am what I am because of them."

\- "You're weak."

\- "Say that..."

\- "Jusheda, you're weak."

 _Fine._  I moved my hand -the one he had trapped by my finger on his own- with enough force to make him hit himself on the nose, taking him by surprise and making him stumble back.  _Payback is a bitch, isn't it?_ I smiled to myself as he let go of me and moved his hand to his nose, wiping the blood from it but with a smile on his face.  _It's time to put Ion and Sheda's lessons properly into practice._  He moved forward, threateningly, not even a protective stance like I had been trained to do by my friends.  _He doesn't fight like Trikru; I can't win like that... I have to outsmart him._  He swung his fist towards my nose, again.  _He must really_ _not_ _like it._ I easily avoided it, taking a step back but failing to recognize the wall behind me, trapped.  _Fuck._   _Surroundings, Sam, surroundings!_  He chuckled darkly for that was exactly what he intended on doing. He rose his fist again, striking towards my face once more so I lowered down and I heard his knuckles hit the brick over my head, dust falling over me as I rolled to the side, using one of my legs to kick his own, making him stumble to the side.  _My turn._  I rose up, he tried to hit me again but I stopped his fist with my elbow and hit him with my other hand on the stomach. He grabbed my shoulder to keep me immobilized and used his other hand to hit me; I felt the air slip from my lungs and the need to vomit as he let go of me and I fell to the floor. He towered over me, his hands on my neck, the pressure augmenting.  _I've been here before, won't make the same mistake._ I rose my knee, hitting him with all my strength and he let go of me; raising my leg I hit his jaw with the heel of my boot and he rose up, holding his parts. Smile on my face, the taste of blood in my mouth, a comfortable feeling at this point. I threw myself at him, catching him by the waist and pushing him down on the dirt with me, he grabbed my waist and I was sure that would leave a mark but I didn't care; I sank my nails on his hands to get him away from me, his grip loosened but not enough for me to move, so I did what I had to: as we had tumbled around, his clothes had moved allowing a part of the skin over his collarbone to peak under them, so I bit him there as hard as I could; he immediately let go of me, grunting in pain as he pushed me away; his blood dripped from my lips.  _Oh, but I'm not done, chief; not now._ I took out the two blades I had hidden under my clothes and I used one to pin his hand to the ground as he kept his other on his neck to stop the bleeding, he yelled in pain as the blade of my knife pierced his hand.

\- "I'm not weak." –I breathed out, catching my breath, pressing the other blade to his neck.

\- "You are weak..." –I pushed the knife further into his skin, making him gulp until I could see the blood there too; it was all I could see and I couldn't say I didn't enjoy it- "You're weak when you don't fight with all you've got; put your emotions to use, just like you've done now."

\- "Are you telling me you've broken my nose and called me weak to get a reaction from me?"

\- "Correct."

\- "You want me to kill you?" -I was startled by his confession, it almost didn't make any sense- "Because that's where you're heading."

\- "I'm not standing in your way and I haven't broken my part of the accord." –he reminded me, a threat; I moved the knife from his neck and rose up, unpinning his other hand from the floor and taking a step back as he stood up- "You've done decently so far; what you've just done to me, that's how you should always fight."

\- "Great, then we can agree it's time for me to go to Arkadia to get my horse and bow back while you take care of everything I've done to you just now."

\- "Not so fast."

\- "Do you think I'm so stupid I'd go back and stay there as if you didn't have a whole army at the reach of your hand?" –I rose an unimpressed and annoyed eyebrow at him- "I hope you don't also think me dumb."

\- "I know you aren't, you wouldn't have survived otherwise."

\- "Thanks, I guess."

\- "But you haven't kept up your whole side of the deal."

\- "I won't kneel to Roan unless he proves worthy of my trust."

\- "I wouldn't either." –he turned around to leave- "Meet me in an hour in the training grounds."

\- "Again? It's almost night and you're bleeding..."

\- "Again; unless, of course, you'd want me to come find you at your house, I'm sure that little kid will..."

\- "How...?" –my words died in my mouth, my eyes widened as he turned around with a satisfied smile on his face- "Leave Lila out of this." –I could feel my skin burning with rage.

\- "She became part of this the second she befriended you."

\- "Are you telling me everyone that has had contact with me is under your vigilance?"

\- "I need reassurance that you'll keep your word."

\- "Isn't the prospect of everyone at Arkadia dying if I fail to comply enough for you?" -I rose my voice, the rage emanating from my mouth didn't scare him, but it should have.

\- "It never hurts having the complete upper-hand." –he resumed walking- "I'll see you later, Jusheda."

I was frozen on my feet, I was disconcerted, I was irritated, I was enraged but most of all I was preoccupied about Lila, she was just a little kid; she couldn't defend herself like Octavia and Bellamy could.  _He has me by the neck... but not for long if I get a saying in any of this. If he keeps up this training schedule I'm sure I can get the upper hand in a couple weeks, at least enough to get what I want..._  I walked back through the streets of Polis, getting some food on my way to Sheda's; I didn't know how I looked but, for the looks of terror and concern I was getting, I was sure everyone would know about my fight with Ulger soon enough. I got to the house, hoping I'd catch Lila there as it was almost dinner time; I was also hoping Octavia would show up but that I couldn't know for sure.

\- "Lila?" –I looked around the main floor as I closed the door behind me- "Are you home?"

\- "Sam!" –I almost didn't see her coming down the stairs, jumping the last couple ones and jumping on my arms, almost making me drop the package I was carrying- "You're home!"

\- "Of course, I am!"

\- "What happened to your nose?" -she placed her hands on my face- "Blood..." -she ran her fingers over my lips.

\- "I broke it, but I'm okay. It was training time." –I put her on the floor as she looked unsure up at me- "The other guy is looking much worse."

\- "Why did you fight?"

\- "I'm learning to fight to keep you safe."

\- "You're hurt." -she pulled me towards the kitchen- "Here." -she gave me a cloth.

\- "I'm okay, Lila, I promise. Can you trust me?" -she nodded as she saw me cleaning the blood from my lips- "Ready for dinner?"

\- "Yes!" –she chuckled throwing her hands on the air and running towards the other side of the table, sitting down on a chair- "I'm ready!"

\- "Let me see those hands..."

She immediately moved her hands behind her back with a shy smile on her face as she started moving towards the sink.

\- "I believe they are not clean, are they?" –she shook her head sheepishly- "I'll tell you a secret... I have to wash mine too."

I put the package with the food on the table as she looked at it with curious eyes; then, I moved a chair next to the sink for her to jump on it to wash her hands there and so did I, also wetting the cloth she had handed me and cleaning Ulger's blood from my face with her assistance. I had realized she liked to help me, as if she were taking care of me, the first time I fought with Sheda and Polis and we both ended up bleeding, Lila choosing to help me with my wounds instead of Sheda's. I smiled at the memory.

\- "A big man came in earlier." –she spoke softly as she dried her hands, pulling me back from my thoughts.

\- "What?" –I looked at her, worry written all over my face as I put down my cloth- "Did he say who he was or what he wanted?"

\- "He said he's a friend of yours." –she shrugged her shoulders, jumping from the chair- "He was looking for you."

\- "Can you describe him for me?" -I kneeled in front of her- "Was he Azgeda?"

\- "Yes."

\- "Did he do anything to you?"

\- "No. He was nice. He gave me a toy."

\- "Can you show it to me?"

She nodded and run upstairs to find it.  _I'll kill him._ I moved to the table and started opening the package, putting the food on a plate and taking a knife and a couple forks when someone knocked on the door.  _Won't he let me live? It hasn't been an hour yet!_

\- "Ulger, seriously, you need to learn..." –I yelled so that he could hear me through the door as I opened it.

\- "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint, Sam."

\- "O!" –I smiled- "I'm so glad you came, you're in time for dinner."

\- "You cooked?" –she rose an eyebrow at me, almost mockingly.

\- "Rude." –I pulled her inside and closed the door- "No, I got it at the market."

\- "Oh, then I'm in."

\- "I've never cooked, how you know I'm not great at it?"

\- "You can't be good at everything."

\- "Then I assume you can't cook either." –I laughed as she washed her hands too on the sink.

\- "Sam! I found it!" –Lila came running downstairs with a cloth doll on her hand but, as she saw Octavia she stopped dead on her tracks and hid behind me.

\- "Sam...?" –Octavia trailed off as she looked behind me, the disconcerted look on her eyes almost made me laugh.

\- "Well, Lila..." –I moved to the side, allowing them both to make eye-contact- "This is Octavia. Octavia, this is Lila."

\- "You're Sam's sister?"

\- "Yes." –Octavia smiled at her before glancing at me for a second- "And you are...?"

\- "I'm her little sister too!"

Lila started laughing and ran up to Octavia, hugging her middle, taking her but surprise but Octavia was quick to place her arms around her, looking at me with questioning eyebrows so I mouthed "Sheda's sister" and she nodded in understanding. Lila was euphoric with O in the house and she wouldn't stop asking her questions as we had dinner together and, soon enough, I found myself thinking of the family we had built together. Once we finished, O helped me put Lila to bed for she didn't want the day to end after meeting her favorite character from my stories.

\- "Is Lila the real reason why you stayed?" –O finally asked me as we both sat down in the kitchen again.

\- "I had to stay to make sure she was going to be okay. She's my responsibility now."

\- "She adores you."

\- "And she's obsessed with you."

\- "That's your fault." –O chuckled, pushing me lightly in the upper-arm- "Does anyone know...?"

\- "No, and I'd like it to stay that way. Well, Murphy and Emori do know there's someone here but they don't know her, they promised not to tell anyone and I trust they won't."

\- "You have my word."

\- "I also have a problem." –O moved her head, prompting me to continue- "Ulger came by earlier and gifted her that doll to gain her trust, he threatened to hurt her if I don't obey him."

\- "He'd do that? Hurt a kid?"

\- "He'd do anything to keep me under him." –I scoffed annoyed- "But I have no intentions of it lasting long. I'll kill him if I have to."

\- "Sam, I know what you're trying to do but killing Azgeda's war chief? How do you think that'd play out?"

\- "I don't know, but I'll do it if I have to and I'll see it through." –I rose from my chair- "And now I have to go meet him."

\- "What? Now?"

\- "Oh, yeah. As you can see we have no real breaks here and may the Commander help him if he allows me to sleep, no, let's train, train, train..."

\- "What are you going to do at night?"

\- "Not see him coming and get something else broken." –I rolled my eyes- "Sleep tight, I'll see you tomorrow."

\- "Be careful, Sam." –she accompanied me to the door as I put on a cape.

\- "Am I ever not?" –I smiled at her, pulling the hood over my head and making my way into the darkness.

 _Night training, that has to be the last step. If I manage to win him without much light, no one will be a threat to me in the daylight and that's the goal, right?_  It didn't take me long to arrive at our meeting point, a couple torches at the sides of the perimeter, defining the circular space slightly.

\- "I just got my nose fixed so you better not touch it or you'll end up like before."

\- "Oh..." –he appeared from the shadows- "This is a different type of training now."

\- "Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to enjoy it?"

\- "Because you won't." –he stood in front of me with a blindfold on his hands- "Turn around."

\- "Why?"

\- "Don't question my orders."

\- "Well, excuse me for asking about your extremely sketchy intentions in the middle of the night with a blindfold..."

\- "I won't hurt you tonight."

\- "That is so reassuring." –I turned around and I could see no more as he tied the cloth around my eyes.

\- "Tonight, you'll be forced to adapt your way to those of the night." –I felt him move from behind me to in front of me- "Whether you'll make it to see another day depends solely on your will-power."

\- "What..."

I couldn't say anything else as he took advantage of my open mouth to put a gag in it; I tried to fight him but he also tied my arms and pulled me over his shoulder.  _Fuck, fuck, fuck._  He threw me over his horse, I tried to fight, I really tried but I was at such a major disadvantage I was almost afraid of what was going to happen next.  _Well, at least Lila has O now._ I don't know for how long we galloped but, as he came to a stop, he pulled me onto his arms again and let me on the ground with my back to a tree.

\- "Good luck, Jusheda." –he whispered into my ear as shiver run down my spine- "Don't let the beasts tore you apart."


	5. Remember who I am.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Samantha finds herself in the middle on a not-so-ver-usual situation while everyone wonders what happened not her.

**SAM'S POV**

I tried to get rid of the ties on my hands but I couldn't. I heard Ulger leaving on his horse, his laugh echoing through my ears as I felt my mind racing.  _Alright, think, Sam, this is not the time to panic. We don't know where we are but we know it's probably far from Polis; it's also nighttime so chances are nocturnal animals are out on the hunt, especially panthers. Great, as if I weren't in enough trouble as it is. Different type of training? My ass. He's trying to get rid of me, this is payback for this afternoon._

I had the blindfold still on my eyes, but I closed them anyway to help me focus on my hearing: the rustle of leaves, the chirping of bats around me... I also focused on what I couldn't hear: there were no voices around me –not that I expected them but, at this point, who knew-, there wasn't any water murmur either so that must have meant he left me in the literal middle of the forest...  _Yeah, but in what direction? Towards Arkadia? No, he wouldn't risk me going back there... would he?_  I opened my eyes, darkness welcoming me again.  _I need to locate my position._  With the torches in Polis, I didn't even bother checking if there was a moon outside or if there were clouds.

_I need to move before something catches my smell... but,_   _first, I need this rope gone._ Ulger had made a point to tie it as hard as he could which was an inconvenience for me but with patience and time, I knew I could get rid of it.  _Problem is, I'm running out of patience and I don't have the time. I'll be happy just with my hands to the front._ I separated myself from the tree I was resting my back on to make sure I had space to move and I rose up; I stood still after doing so for a couple minutes to make sure there wasn't a potential threat around, at least not one that I could hear... I knew I needed as fewer things on my way as possible, so I took off my boots and started maneuvering my hands to try to make the rope as loose as possible before attempting what Ion had taught me. I didn't have the patience or will to wait much longer so, as soon as I got my boots off, I slid my hands down my back, squatting down once I got them to my ass.  _Yes!_   _Thank you, Ion!_ I fell back on my ass as my hands were now behind my knees.  _That wasn't so bad..._  I heard a branch crack behind me.  _Fuck_. I moved my legs slightly up to put them through my tied arms, feeling a sharp pain on my outer right one as I finally got my hands to the front; I immediately pulled my blindfold down.  _Not tying my feet too was a dumb move, Ulger._  Another broken branch.  _Can I, please, get a second to breathe down here?!_ I looked around me as I struggled to put my boots on again.  _I need this tie, gone. Now._ Another broken branch behind me, my heart racing as I felt a shiver running down my spine; I quickly turned my body towards the noise, immediately relaxing as I distinguished the shape of a deer a couple meters away from me, so I took a deep breath and smiled to myself.

\- "You gave me a good scare there, buddy."

The deer rose its head towards me just a second before a shadow lunged towards it, growling before it hit the deer. A panther.  _Fuck, it's time to go before it decides I'm a much nutritious meal._  I started moving away from both animals, not bothering to look back and not really knowing where I was moving towards, which was a dumb move but my life was more precious right now than the time I was wasting running around; once I was sure I was alone again, I patted myself as best as I could to check if Ulger had taken all my blades.  _Hold up._ I moved my hands to my right lower leg.  _Yes._  The blade I kept hidden on my boot was still there; I had made sure to use something to tie it up every day just in case but I had totally forgotten about it as I struggled earlier with my ties, hence the sharp pain on my arm as I had cut myself while moving my hands under my legs.  _Awesome, now, with some luck..._ I took the blade slowly from its place and held it up in between my knees as I sat down, its point towards me and the sharp end up while I started running the rope over it to cut it; it took some time, but I finally managed to get my hands free. I laid down on the ground, looking up at the sky and rubbing my pained wrists, not being able to see much of anything for the treetops covered most of my surroundings. I was really deep in the forest.

\- "Alright, now what?" –I sat back up, taking my blade and guarding it on my vest now, to have it at hand more easily- "I need shelter for the night. I also need to locate myself." –I looked around me- "Climbing a tree it's what's going to be."

My eyes had gotten used to the dark after all; I hadn't been actually training for that but with everything that had happened after Mount Weather, I had trained with Sheda and Ion at night and with Pike in charge, being out in the daylight had been out of the question for some time.  _What is Ulger trying to do anyway? Is he really trying to get rid of me? He could have just killed me... He isn't a coward not to do that in the middle of the street but maybe being devoured by a panther is the end he wants for me. Well, not today._ The forest was always calm but, at night, it was like another world; I had loved it since we landed, my mind going back to the night we lost Monty while looking for Clarke and Finn and I asked Bellamy if he didn't feel the darkness calling him.  _Bellamy! I hope they are coming up with something... I need to go back to find out._ I found a tree that looked easy enough for me to climb and so I did, going as high as I could, trying to discern where I was. I couldn't exactly see much so I thought it'd be best to just stay the night on high ground and look again in the morning; I made myself comfortable on a branch high enough not to be an easy prey for the animals but low enough to hear if anyone passed by.  _It's going to be a long night..._

**\-----------------------**

**BELLAMY'S POV**

Clarke and I were talking with Raven about the radiation situation and what to do next when we heard the engine of the Rover.

\- "No one's scheduled to take the Rover."

With Raven's observation, the three of us made out way outside, finding Jaha on the Rover.

\- "I need to make a run."

\- "All supply runs go through me." –Raven took a step towards him- "Besides, shouldn't you be working on the patch on Sector 5?"

I motioned for him to get down from the Rover and to stop the engine.

\- "A patch?" –he scoffed as he got down- "On a ship that can only save a 100 people?" –the three of us looked at each other, having been caught- "Why are you so surprised? I am an engineer. We have no way to generate water. The harder number is 400; can you really sentence 400 more of our own people to death?"

\- "We don't have a choice!" –Clarke raised her voice, gaining the attention of everyone around us, which was the last thing we needed.

\- "What if you do? What if I told you there might be a fallout shelter less than a day's drive from here, a fallout shelter built to sustain thousands?"

\- "We've been through the Chancellor's files." –Raven quickly answered- "All the bunkers you considered for the 100 were listed as compromised or unviable and now Mount Weather is too."

\- "Those were government bunkers."

He opened the Rover's car, getting a tablet from inside, handing it to Clarke.

\- "A doomsday cult?" –I questioned looking over Clarke's shoulder.

\- "That's right, 'The second dawn'."

\- "They built a bunker?"

\- "Yeah." –Jaha answered Clarke- "Their whole theology was based on riding out the end of the world."

\- "And why didn't you consider it?"

\- "We couldn't prove it existed."

\- "So why are you considering it now?"

\- "Because before now, we didn't need it."

\- "You found it, didn't you?"

\- "We can't be sure unless we check it out."

\- "No." –Raven refused as soon as Clarke turned to look at her- "We need that Rover for hauling pieces of a 3-ton patch we're..."

\- "Yeah, but if he's right, we don't need a patch!"

\- "Can I talk to you guys for a second?" –Raven moved aside from Jaha so that the three of us could speak- "Can you please remind Clarke what happened the last time Jaha went looking for salvation?"

\- "Raven, if that bunker is real we can save a lot more than a 100 people."

\- "If it's not, we've lost another day."

\- "Hey, look." –Clarke regained her attention- "If it's not, I'll make the list..."

\- "Whatever." –Raven was clearly done with this- "Do what you want, I've got a ship to seal."

Raven started to move away when her walkie turned on, Kane's voice coming through it.

\- "Anyone copy?"

\- "Kane?" –Raven took it and turned to us- "It's Raven."

\- "We have a situation."

\- "What is it?" –Clarke and I moved closer to Raven to heard what was happening.

\- "It's Samantha, she's..."

\- "What?!" –my heart dropped to my stomach as Raven looked at me, handing me the walkie- "What happened, Kane?"

\- "She isn't with you?"

\- "No, I left her at Polis a week ago when I came back to Arkadia with Clarke! She was with you!"

\- "Bellamy..." –Clarke placed a hand on my shoulder as she looked around us, my raised voice had caught the attention of pretty much everyone outside.

\- "What happened?"

\- "We don't know. She was with Octavia four nights ago and left to train with Ulger and... never came back. We thought you should know in case she showed up there. I have to go now, but I'll keep in touch."

\- "And you've waited almost a week to tell me about this!" –I tried not to yell on the walkie- "I have to go to Polis." –I gave the walkie back to Raven who was looking at me with wide eyes and a worried expression.

\- "No, you can't." –Clarke pulled me back- "We need the Rover to check the bunker..."

\- "I left Sam and now she's gone missing; I have to go find her, I'll take Selene..."

\- "How do you expect to find her like that? Bellamy, it's practically impossible. She's not in Polis or else Kane wouldn't be asking if she was here..."

\- "Then something happened to her and I have to go out and find her..."

\- "You have to come with me, to look for that bunker with Jaha." –Clarke was insistent- "I need you."

\- "Why am I always having to choose between you and Sam?"

\- "What?"

I didn't mean to say that out loud, I was just... thinking about it.

\- "Nothing."

\- "I'm not making you choose." –her voice was harsh but softened as she continued- "What good is it if you find Sam if we can't survive the radiation?"

\- "Well, at least I'd die with her."

\- "Bellamy..."

\- "I'll keep an eye for Sam." -Raven squeezed my shoulder- "Take a walkie; if anything comes up, I'll let you know."

I couldn't let my mind wander because I knew it'll go to the worst possible scenario.  _She left to train with Ulger and then never came back_.  _What if Ulger killed her? What if that was the deal she made with him? What if..._

\- "What deal did Sam have with Ulger?" –I faced Clarke.

\- "I can't..."

\- "Tell me she didn't offer her life for us." –I pleaded; I could feel my heart racing up and the tears beginning to form in my eyes- "Tell me she didn't sacrifice herself and Ulger killed her."

\- "No, no... that wasn't the deal."

\- "Clarke, I need to know."

\- "What is he talking about?" –I could feel Raven's eyes on me.

\- "Before Roan decided to maintain Lexa's coalition, Ulger forced Sam to accept a side deal: he's Azgeda's war Chief and the army is loyal to him not to the King, Sam had to stay there with him and obey him or else he'd wipe us out."

\- "That doesn't mean he wouldn't kill her." -Raven pointed out, trying to ease me I assumed.

\- "I don't think he would." -Clarke nodded at Raven- "He offered to train her and I think he needs her for something."

\- "For what?"

\- "I don't know but I don't think he killed her. He seemed to have a particular interest on her; I believe Sam's somewhere out there still alive, maybe doing something in secret for him..."

\- "Maybe we'll find her on our way to the bunker." –Jaha chimed in from behind us, he had willingly moved towards us to listen and that slightly angered me, this wasn't about him- "I know Samantha, you three know her; she's a survivor." –he eyed us three one at a time- "If we don't find her on our way, I'll go out to look for her myself once we're back." -she looked at Raven- "On foot."

I knew we had to go look for that bunker, the hope of finding her on our way gave me a glimmer of hope.  _If she isn't in Polis nor here, where could she be? Mount Weather and Luna's are not viable options... maybe she tried to come back on foot and is still in the forest..._

\- "If we don't find her on our way there or back..." –I faced him- "...I'll be the one to go out to look for her, and I won't come back until I find her."

**\----------------------**

**OCTAVIA'S POV**

Four days.  _It's been four days since I last saw Sam, in fact, since anyone in Polis has seen Sam._  At first, I thought she had gone back for Selene to Arkadia but how? On foot? That'd have taken her days and it was reckless, even for her. I had spoken to everyone I knew in Polis and everyone she knew, but no one seemed to know what had happened to her; not even the King.

\- "Octavia, focus." –Indra's voice disrupted my thoughts- "This is serious."

\- "My sister has been gone for four days and no one seems to give a fuck!"

\- "We will all be dead soon if we don't deal with this now." –Roan spoke now; he had lost the Flame and wanted me to go look for it and retrieve it.

\- "How could you lose the Flame?" –I looked up at him- "You were supposed to..."

\- "We don't have time to discuss this."

\- "Fine, I'll deal with it." –I took my blade and jacket- "In exchange, I want to know what Ulger did with my sister."

\- "I'll speak with him."

\- "If she doesn't come back or anything happened to her..."

\- "Octavia." –Indra interrupted me- "This is bigger than us."

\- "She's my family." –I faced her- "If she isn't back in one piece before we find a solution to all this mess, radiation will be the last of your problems." –I ended looking at Roan before leaving them both there to do my job.

**\-----------**

**3rd POV**

Murmurs are heard through the streets of Polis, heads turn around as a woman walks past them, surprised and concerned expressions can be seen in just about everyone that was out that afternoon. Samantha's back, 'from the dead' some whisper. Standing tall as she walks, head held high, proud, honorable and, what's more important, still on her shoulders. Chin up, chest out and shoulders back; she holds a powerful stand as she stops walking in the middle of the plaza, soon surrounded by curious, impressed and frightened Grounders. It's been four days and five nights since she disappeared from Polis, leaving every Grounder and Skaikru wondering where she had gone to. She's covered in mud and blood, both dry and fresh, her arms have open wounds for everyone to see as she isn't wearing a jacket, her hands are dirty and her pants are torn apart in several places but her eyes don't show tiredness or worry, a defiant look on them, meant to scare whoever has anything against her... if anyone had anything against Jusheda at this point. 'Whatever she had been up to, it couldn't have been easy' is the overall consensus between everyone present there.

\- "Weron Ulger kom Azgeda kamp raun?" [Where is Ulger kom Azgeda?]

People murmur, looking around for the man whom they know is responsible for her state; they are all eager to know what she's going to do with one of the most hated, feared and vicious people yet to step foot in the city. As she waits for him to show up, Samantha lets go of the panther's neck, scaring a couple kids around her who take a step back.

\- "Ai frag em up." -she looks at them, eyes softening- "Em na nou bash yu op." [I killed it. It can't hurt you."

The crowd in front of her makes way for someone to walk up to her; Ulger stands there, self-satisfied smile on his face as he eyes her up and down.

\- "I was starting to think you had become beast's food."

His tone is almost mocking; as if he still believed Samantha was nothing more than a mere girl fallen from the Sky but, deep down, he knows that is not the case... that couldn't be any further from the truth.

\- "It won't be because they didn't try."

Samantha takes a step towards him, head up not to break eye contact; she moves fast now, taking a hidden blade from the back of her pants and stabbing Ulger on the leg, making him fall.

\- "Next time you dare try anything against me, I will kill you."

Her voice is powerful as she looks down at him like it's never been before, even Ulger now wonders if he went too far this time; whether he has awakened a monster or not, only time will tell. Samantha turns around, pulling up the panther by its neck again.

\- "Yu na kom op choj op disha." -she addresses the three kids from before and they nod, smiling happily before they disappear into the crowd. [You can come eat this.]

She watches them go and starts moving away from everyone, dragging her food with her but, before she disappears along the streets, she turns her face to look at the fallen man over her shoulder, a conceited smile on her own face now.

\- "You can keep that blade as a reminder of who you're dealing with."

**\--------------------**

**OCTAVIA'S POV**

After retrieving the fake broken Flame to Roan and before I left Polis again to look for Sam, I made my way to Sheda's house to check on Lila, who was playing with the doll Ulger had given her.

\- "Octavia!"

She smiled as she saw me coming inside, looking behind me; I knew she was looking for Sam. When Sam never came back Lila had cried and refused to leave my side for a day, she almost lost her appetite and I hadn't seen her really smile nor laugh in days. A genuine and real smile, at least.

\- "How's my favorite Trikru?"

\- "Okay." -she looked up.

\- "You hungry?" -I squatted in front of her and she nodded almost imperceptibly- "I'll go see what I can find, alright?"

As I rose back up, I heard a peculiar scream that caught my attention; it wasn't a cry for help or an expression of pain, rather of surprise as my sister's nickname flew towards my ears.

\- "Sam..."

I had left Polis daily, looking for her but, as things got worse with Roan's leadership being threatened, him losing the Flame and now Indra's daughter showing up, and also Lila having to be taken care of, I had started to think maybe, this time, I had lost her. I was supposed to meet Roan in the morning so that he could tell me what he had found out but, as I heard her name, I ran to the door, practically throwing it open, almost bumping into someone that was way too close to it.

\- "Sam!" –my eyes widened as I recognized her under all the dirt and blood, my eyes flickering from her bloody face to the panther she was carrying- "Are you okay? What happened? What...?"

\- "I brought... whatever meal is next." –she looked disoriented but not completely out of it- "How long was I gone?"

\- "Four days?!" –I helped her inside, carrying the panther myself- "What the fuck happened? I was so worried! Everyone was so worried, Kane radioed Arkadia to know if you had..."

\- "Ulger is what happened." –she murmured, letting go of the panther as she sat down.

\- "What...?" –I kneeled in front of her.

\- "Sam! Sam!" –Lila appeared on the kitchen's door with the biggest smile I had seen in days on her face- "I knew you'd come back! I knew you wouldn't leave me without saying goodbye." –she ran up to Sam, who immediately picked her up and sat her on her lap- "You're hurt." –Lila's happy voice dropped to concern as she laid her hands on Sam's face.

\- "Of course, I'd never leave you." –she kissed her forehead- "I was on a secret mission for the King!"

I knew she was lying, but I also understood Lila needed something to believe different than the cruel reality; another tail of the King and the warrior.

\- "Hey, Lila." –I placed my hand on her arm- "Why don't we let Sam take a shower while we make dinner, huh?"

\- "Great! I'll go wash my hands!" –Lila shoot running upstairs to the bathroom, probably also to open the shower for Sam.

\- "Thank you." –Sam looked up at me through her lashes- "I knew she'd be alright with you."

\- "What happened?" -I handed her a glass of water- "You look awful and dehydrated."

\- "I thought we were going to do his usual training routine but instead he blindfolded me and tied me up, taking my blades away." –Sam shook her head, I could hear the anger in her voice before she drank the liquid in one swift sitting- "He pulled me on his horse and, I'm not sure how long he went or in what direction, but he left me in the middle of the forest."

\- "Just like that?" –she nodded as I filled the glass again- "I'll kill him! I confronted him and you know what he told me? That you were done with us! With Skaikru, with Trikru... with Lila and me!" –I felt the tears on my eyes- "Of course, I knew it wasn't true, but I was so scared, Sam! When you didn't come back the first night... I thought... I thought he..."

\- "Hey, O." –she rose from the chair and came to stand in front of me, placing her hand on my face- "It's okay, I'm back and I'm okay."

\- "What are you going to do now?"

\- "I'm going to kill him." –her voice was a threat, poisonous and terrifying; and I shared her every feeling- "I don't know when, or who." –she raised from the chair- "But I will."

I hugged her as she finished speaking but, instead of me comforting her, it was as if she were comforting me: her hand rubbing my back as her other rested on my head, pulling me closer. A force hit me on the legs as Lila joined us in the hug, chuckling.  _So young an innocent._

\- "Are you sure you know how to cook that thing?" –Sam smiled at me as she pointed at the panther.

\- "How hard can it be?"

\- "That's what I'm saying." –she laughed, patting Lila's head- "You keep an eye on O while I shower, alright? Make sure she doesn't poison us." –Lila nodded and turned to look at me, arms crossed over her chest and a severe but funny look on her face- "Or the couple kids that may show up later."

\- "I'll try my best." –I winked at Lila who chuckled softly and then glanced at Sam- "We'll talk later." –she nodded- "Now get out of here and take all the time you need, I'll go up to check on you and your..." –I looked at her arms, knowing she'd understand- "...in a bit."

I read the voiceless 'thank you' on her lips before she moved upstairs; I didn't know what had happened really out there but I could see the change in her eyes, I wasn't sure I liked it. We had to let Arkadia know Sam was back in one piece, I was sure most Grounders would be talking about her comeback by now and I hoped Kane and Abbie would too so that they could let everyone back there know she was alright.  _Maybe it's time for her to go back... home, I guess._


	6. The new 100.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After an unsuccessful visit to the bunker Jaha discovered, Bellamy and Clarke make it back to Arkadia; before Clarke moves to come up with the list she’s dreading to write, a visitor makes their way into their camp.

**BELLAMY'S POV**

The bunker Jaha thought could save us all had turned out to be nothing more than a massive disappointment and my mood wasn't getting any better, seeing we hadn't found Sam on our way either. It was almost nighttime when we made it back to Arkadia, having spent one day out of there; I went straight to look for Raven, to know if something about Sam had come up, but she had no good news.  _I'm coming, Sam._  I made my way to the armory, picking up a rifle and a flashlight before exiting the ship towards where we kept Selene; of course, I had been taking care of her while Sam wasn't around and I knew the horse missed her just as much as I did.

\- "Hey, girl." –I pet her face, giving her a carrot that I had smuggled from the garden- "We are going out to find Sam."

I was preparing her for the trip, putting the saddle pat, the saddle and was starting to hook the stirrups when the peaceful environment of the camp was disturbed.

\- "Grounder!" –the guard on the main post screamed- "Ice Nation!"

\- "Fuck!"

I cursed under my breath as I started running towards the main door, needing answers and hoping it wasn't the whole army or something worst.

\- "What's happening?" –Clarke showed up as I made it to the door.

\- "Grounders." –the guard posted on the door pointed outside- "Azgeda."

\- "What could this mean?"

\- "They better not be bringing Sam's body or else..." –I took out my gun.

\- "Bellamy, you have to calm down."

The tension around us was starting to become unbearable, so I moved directly behind the door, gun on hand, ready to shoot. As the Grounder got close to the door, I realized there was, in fact, someone behind them on the horse; they stopped the horse and the person behind them got down from it, wearing head-to-toe Azgeda's clothing and a mask hiding their face too.

\- "What do you want?" –I asked, not moving from my place as Clarke stood next to me with a couple guards.

\- "Ban op." –the voice behind the mask spoke, face to the Grounder on the horse- "Nau." [Leave. Now]

I recognized that voice.  _Sam._  She turned around as the Grounder left, taking off the mask and throwing it away from her with a disgusted look on her face before looking at me.

\- "Are you gonna shoot me, Blake?" –the smirk on her face made my troubles disappear- "Or are you going to let me in? I told you I'd come back."

I put my gun away, signaling to get the door open as more people started surrounding us; it didn't take long for Jasper to show up.

\- "Sam!" –he practically ran out the door as soon as there was enough space- "You're back! Finally!" –he hugged her and Sam smiled into the hug- "I was beginning to worry those assholes might have hurt you."

\- "Oh, trust me, no one can hurt me now." –she pulled away to look into his eyes- "I got them under control."

\- "We thought..." –Clarke was the next to speak as Sam and Jasper came inside, arm on arm- "Kane..."

\- "It's okay Clarke." –it was clear Sam didn't want to talk about whatever had happened while Jasper was around- "Have you have dinner, J?"

\- "For you, I can make an exception." –he let go of her, moving back deeper into the camp- "It's a date."

\- "You got it." –Sam winked at him as she watched him go before turning to Clarke- "You and I can talk later..." –she looked at me- "I'm getting the feeling the boss over here wants to talk to me."

She started laughing as Clarke nodded and left, leaving us alone. I was frozen on my feet like it seemed to be the rule lately around Sam.

\- "This is not the reception I was hoping for, Blake... maybe I should have taken longer to gain a bigger reaction from you." –she rose an eyebrow at me, crossing her arms over her chest- "Wait, unless it's awkward for a reason..." –her eyes flickered towards Clarke before lying on mine again- "Hey, it's cool if you've moved on, I..."

I strode towards her as I saw the hesitation in her eyes; it hurt me that she still felt that way. She uncrossed her arms just before I took her face in my hands, pulling her to me and kissing her deeply. I'd missed this, missed feeling her so close to me, the feeling of her lips on mine, her taste, the familiarity of our mouths moving together as her hands moved to my neck and hair, pulling me down. I missed her. I loved her. As we broke apart, I hugged her tightly; she hid her face on my neck as I felt her hot breath on my skin, resting my hands on her back and hair, softly running my fingers through it. I didn't care about anything else right now, with Sam in my arms, doomsday didn't seem so bad after all if we were together.

\- "So..." –she whispered in my ear, not letting go- "...did you miss me?"

\- "Did I miss you?" –I scoffed, tightening my arms around her, forcing her to stand on her toes for a moment- "Does Hades rule the Underworld?"

\- "With Persephone, yes." –she moved back slightly, my eyes finding hers- "We're back to Mythology, huh? I like that."

\- "I don't have precisely many opportunities to talk about that."

\- "We can do that while I'm here."

\- "While?" –I forced her to keep her eyes on mine, taking her chin on my hand- "I'm not letting you leave Arkadia without me ever again."

\- "You know very well you can't stop me." –she moved away from me, starting to walk- "Update me, what's been going on here?"

\- "Sam..." –I pulled her back, catching her arm- "Kane radioed saying you had disappeared for four days..." –I saw in her eyes I wasn't supposed to know that- "I was getting ready to leave with Selene to look for you. What happened? Where were you?"

\- "Trying not to die." –the honest tone hit me harder than it was supposed to as she walked to where Selene was.

\- "Care to elaborate?" –I followed her.

\- "Are you going to freak out?"

\- "About you and your safety? Obviously. I'm on a constant state of worry since I met you."

\- "Well, I'm sorry about that." -she scoffed, clearly getting it wrong.

\- "I mean I worry about you because I care about you. You're not a burden, you're my family."

\- "You need to relax, I'm perfectly fine." –she moved her hands pointing from her head to her legs- "See? Perfect condition."

\- "Sam..."

\- "Fine, I'll tell you but let's go somewhere else..." –she looked around- "This is no one's business but mine and I don't want everyone whispering about my life; that's something I don't miss from this place."

\- "Sam, did Ulger hurt you?" –I took her hands in mine- "Did he do anything to you?" –I pulled her closer, my tone more serious and concerned by the second- "Did he touch you?"

\- "No, he didn't touch me. Well, apart from every hit I got during training the first days... but not in the way you're implying; although I'm sure he'd like to try, but I think he needs both his hands on their places... he wouldn't appreciate me cutting them." –she squeezed my hands- "I'm okay, I promise."

\- "Come with me."

\- "Let me see my horse first, she should know I'm still around before she forgets about me" –she smiled, facing me; I was certain she was ready to give me the innocent look she used to put on when I was about to say no at one of her reckless ideas- "Please."

\- "You don't need the puppy eyes to convince me, you know that."

\- "Just in case." –she smiled before turning around to resume walking.

After she saw Selene and we took the saddle and everything from her so that she'd be comfortable and made sure she had food and water, I took her hand in mine, looking at her over my shoulder to see the smile on her face as she looked at our hands, my eyes on her going unnoticed.

\- "I have a date with Jasper so this can't take long. I need to know he's doing alright."

\- "A date..." –I couldn't help my mocking tone as she sat on the bed, our bed, resting her upper body back on her hands.

\- "Jealous much?" –she raised an eyebrow at me.

\- "Jasper loves you and you love him, but you aren't in love."

\- "How should you know?"

\- "Well...." –smirk on my face as I looked at her- "You kissed me back; that has to mean something coming from you, right?"

\- "It'd have been rude otherwise..." –she chuckled, raising a flirtatious eyebrow at me, it felt nostalgic- "Won't you agree?"

\- "I miss this, Sam, I miss us."

\- "I do too, but we haven't figured our shit out and I honestly cannot think about my feelings right now, things are too insane... We're at war, we have to think about surviving first."

\- "Hold up." –I squatted in front of her- "What are you saying?"

\- "Well... you have a lot of work around here and I have to go back to Polis."

\- "I don't care about any of that; of course, I'd rather for us to be at the same place for longer than 5 minutes, to have time alone with you... my feelings for you haven't changed, I know they never will, I can wait..."

\- "I know, I know..." –she quickly cut me off, massaging her temples as she straightened her back- "I honestly thought I could fight my feelings for you but I can't... I miss being together too, I miss you being by my side every day and I fear you'll finally move on while I'm gone, but I don't want to get back together in a hurry; I need to know we won't destroy each other. I know we both still feel the same way so let's hope we can solve this radiation mess soon, figure ourselves out and then we can work through us. I'm not making more mistakes with you."

\- "I'll always be here." –I kissed her forehead before sitting down next to her- "Now, tell me about what happened." –I moved a strand of her hair behind her ear, revealing a couple pieces of braided hair that weren't hers- "Are these...?"

\- "Yeah..." –she moved my hand to take the locks on her hands- "This is Ion's, obviously, but you already knew that." –I nodded- "This is Sheda's."

\- "I'm so sorry, Sam." –I took one of her hands in mine, rubbing its back with my thumb softly, lovingly...

\- "I'll survive." –she sniffled before showing me the last braid- "This is Oreth's, you never met her but I think I told you about her..." -I nodded- "When she died, I didn't cut a piece of her hair for me, I wasn't thinking, I just wanted to kill everyone inside that Mountain... so, when I cut Sheda's, I took half of the braid he had from Oreth, which is why this one's smaller; I didn't want to take it all because he knew her for longer than I did, but she was so good to me..." –a tear fell down her cheek- "I'm sorry." –she quickly wiped it away- "We have more important matters on our hands now."

\- "You can talk to me."

\- "I know, I will once we have time but not now." –she rose her face to look at me again, moving her hair behind her back- "You tell me first what's been going on here, then I'll tell you about Ulger."

\- "Fine." –I wasn't sold on this idea, but I knew forcing Sam to talk never worked, so I let it go for now- "Clarke, Jaha and I left yesterday to find a bunker Jaha thought could be our way out of this one but it was a dead end."

\- "So, what now?"

\- "We only got this ship, Monty realized it's our best shot since it dealt with the radiation in space."

\- "But that's great." –the smile on her face quickly disappeared as she eyed me- "Isn't it?"

\- "The ship can only hold 100 people during the 5 years in which the radiation will be too hard for us to survive outside."

\- "Fuck." –she rose her feet on the bed, resting her elbows on her knees and her head on her hands- "So... what's the plan?"

\- "Raven asked Clarke to make a list of the people who should survive Praimfaya."

\- "She wrote it already?"

\- "She's probably doing that now."

\- "She'll know who to save." –she faced me- "We still have time to find another solution."

\- "Yeah, the list is just our final option, not the one we are aiming at." –I reassured her- "Now, you tell me what happened while you disappeared."

\- "Ulger asked me to meet him at night for another training session, nothing out of the ordinary if you know the guy, honestly, so I didn't bother thinking through it. I got to the training grounds and he told me we were doing something different, put a blindfold on me so I assumed it had to do with practicing fighting in the dark; next thing I know, he has me tied up on his horse and we are leaving Polis."

\- "What?" –I felt my pulse racing up as I clenched my jaw.

\- "He then left me in the forest, still blindfolded and tied up."

\- "I'm going to end him." –I attempted to raise from the bed but her hand on my thigh stopped me.

\- "I got that covered." –the smile on her face felt out of place.

\- "You killed him?"

\- "No, but I'm going to."

\- "Sam, he's the War Chief."

\- "Do you really think I care? The only reason he isn't dead yet is because I have to find a way to do so without bringing the Ice Nation's army to our doors." –she rose from the bed- "You know very well I don't need saving, but what you can do for me right now is make sure no one else gets hurt while I fight my battles." –she stood in front of me, so I pulled her to me, resting my head on her abdomen, closing my eyes as she ran her fingers through my hair- "I don't want anyone else to know, alright? This is not of their concern, not even Clarke, alright?" –I hummed in agreement- "Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe someone is waiting for me somewhere around here." –she moved my head so that I had to look up at her- "I don't want to be late." –she smiled- "Please."

\- "Fine." –I grunted, annoyed I couldn't spend more time with her.

\- "I'll see you around, Blake. Now go check on Clarke, that list won't be easy to write, she's going to need your support."

She left me there, sat on our bed, staring into oblivion, going over our conversation.  _Maybe I need to stop pushing the topic of getting back together on her, I know we both still feel the same so why does a technicality have to ruin it? We may not be officially together again but she's still the one who owns my heart... and everything else is she asks for it._  I chuckled at where my own thoughts were going.  _Who'd have guessed I'd ever feel this way._  I rose from the bed and started walking around, trying to find Clarke.  _I'm sure Clarke will write her name;_   _I just hope we'll be able to find another way to survive Praimfaya, we can't let 400 of our own people to die. We'll find another way. Together._

**\---------------**

**SAM'S POV**

After talking with Bellamy, I made my way to Jasper's room, soon finding he wasn't there and deciding outside was the safest bet, and that's where I was going when I bumped into a group of people eager to see me.

\- "Sam!" –Raven hugged me so tight I thought I'd stop breathing- "You're back!"

\- "And if you don't relax your grip I may leave for good this time." –I chuckled, hugging her back- "How are you?"

\- "Overboard with work, as usual around here."

\- "Aren't we all lately?" –I looked behind Raven as I let go of her, finding Harper with a smile on her face and Monty shaking his head next to her.

\- "Guys!" –I smiled, glad to see they were alright.

\- "You look..." –Harper eyed me up and down.

\- "Unharmed?" –I laughed hugging her- "Surprised?"

\- "It's a good look on you." –Harper pulled away just before Monty hugged me.

\- "I'm glad you're back." –Monty moved back next to Harper- "Jasper has had a change of heart."

\- "A good one?" –I questioned looking at him before eyeing the girls.

\- "I'd hope so."

\- "I'm going to have dinner with him."

\- "Trust me, the whole camp knows." –Harper busted out laughing.

\- "What? Why?"

\- "He's been very... joyful lately, more talkative... he's been singing a lot."

\- "Well, that's good, I think." –I moved past them- "I'll see you around guys, don't wanna be late!"

\- "We heard about your Trikru friends..." –Raven spoke loud enough for only us to hear it.

\- "We're sorry about it."

\- "It's okay, guys." –I tried to sound as convincing as possible- "Let's deal with Praimfaya now, then we'll all have time to mourn."

They nodded, buying my façade which was exactly what I wanted, before we were on our respective ways again. It was peaceful outside, I missed the calmness of being safe, of knowing there were people looking out for all of us; in Polis it was different, there it was me the one looking out for everyone.  _It's a nice change._

\- "Sam! Over here!" –Jasper's melodious tone surprised me as I looked around to see where he was, finding him at one of the tabled.

\- "You look good, J." –I hugged him again, seeing the change in his body language from the last time I saw him- "What's been going on."

\- "I've realized something."

\- "Do enlighten me, please." –I smiled, resting my head on my hand.

\- "Well, since we only have six months to live, I've decided to enjoy my time fully."

\- "We're looking for a way to survive."

\- "Sam, I don't want to survive, I want to live."

\- "How does one thing cancel the other?" –I took a ship off the cup in front of me, realizing Jasper had put booze on it instead of water too late- "This is strong." –I crinkled my nose almost involuntarily- "Love it. But I'm serious, explain, please."

\- "I don't want to expend my last days working for Clarke."

\- "I see..." –I realized what he meant, I didn't need him going deeper into it- "Would you hate me if I look out for a way to survive Praimfaya."

\- "I'd rather if you stayed here, living."

\- "I would too." –I smiled, but it was a sad smile, I really wished I could stay with him- "Can you keep a secret?"

\- "You know I can."

\- "Promise me. No one can know what I'm about to tell you."

\- "Pinky promise." –I laughed whole-heartedly as I intertwined my pinky finger with his, a major contrast with his serious face- "I won't tell a soul, I'll take this to my death bed."

\- "Don't go all dark on me now. I'm going to tell you the real reason I have to be at Polis." –he nodded, furrowing his eyebrows in concentration- "Remember Sheda?"

\- "Your Grounder friend, yes." –he rose his head as if he had just remembered something- "I heard he died when Clarke was in the City of Light."

\- "Yeah."

\- "As I told Octavia, it's okay to fall apart a little. I know he was important to you, it'll take a while and the pain will always be there... booze will help."

\- "I can't fall apart yet, J." –I looked around to make sure no one could hear me- "He has a little sister."

\- "Oh." –he whispered and then, his eyes widened- "Oh!"

\- "She's an orphan, she has no one... it's on me to take care of her, I can't let her alone."

\- "Sam..." –Jasper moved his hands to catch mines- "It's okay, I understand."

\- "That doesn't mean I don't care about you." –I focused my eyes on him- "I love you, but I know you can take care of yourself, she can't, she's a kid..."

\- "It's alright, Sam, seriously."

\- "I'm staying a couple days so we might as well make the best out of them... until my next visit."

\- "Uh, I have a couple ideas." –he smiled mischievously.

\- "And I'm in for all of them."

I adored Jasper. I knew he wouldn't tell a soul about Lila so, for the next hour, we kept talking about these plans of his and I answered all his questions in relation to Lila and Polis, avoiding, of course, my last four days in the while and Ulger's deal. Once he started to get tired, I walked him to his room, promising to have breakfast with him the following day. I walked on my own around the ship for a couple minutes, not really wanting to sleep.  _I should go check that list of Clarke's... check who's on it and who's not. Discuss our next move... There has to be something else we can do._

**\------------**

**3rd POV**

Samantha enters the room as Clarke is writing the list; she rests her side on the doors frame and her eyes land on Bellamy's sleeping figure, a small smile making way to her lips before she looks at Clarke.

\- "How are you?"

\- "I'm tired." –Clarke looks up at her from the paper in front of her- "Tired of making decisions."

\- "I know."

\- "I was wondering when you'd show up."

\- "Bellamy told me what happened, I decided you might want company." –Samantha eyes Bellamy, chuckling softly- "Awake company I mean."

\- "Thank you, Sam. Really."

\- "I'm not doing much, honestly."

\- "What you did back in Polis..."

\- "You'd have done the same; we aren't that different in that aspect, you too would die for our people but you better not."

\- "What happened?"

\- "I'm not sure if Ulger was trying to get rid of me or teaching me something, but I handled it; don't worry about it."

\- "He wants something from you, that much is obvious."

\- "I know..."

\- "And you are aware of what it is?"

\- "I have my theories." –Clarke motions her to move closer and sit down with her to keep talking- "I think he wants to get rid of Roan." –Samantha answers calmly, sitting on the table.

\- "That can't happen! If Roan falls then so does the coalition and Skaikru with it... How you know?"

\- "Well, he confessed his training is directed to shaping me into an assassin more so than into a warrior; he also doesn't like Roan one bit."

\- "But one of his conditions was for you to pay loyalty to the King."

\- "I know, which is why nothing made sense until I went to see him this morning to let him know I was coming here with or without his blessing; he asked me about that again so I told him I had no intentions of pleading loyalty to Roan, to anyone for that matter..."

\- "But Sam!" –Clarke protests, angered her friend would do such a thing, putting all their lives at risk.

\- "Listen to me, maybe I shouldn't have said that but, if I hadn't, we wouldn't have confirmation of his plan."

\- "I don't get it."

\- "When I announced my intentions he was pleased, allowing me to come and saying that that part of our deal had been withdrawn; I obviously asked him what that meant and why was he doing so now for it didn't make any sense... his answer? 'I have better plans for us'."

\- "Us?"

\- "Him and I." –Samantha simply shrugs her shoulders, as if what she has just confessed was nothing.

\- "That can't be good... we need to know what he's planning; we can't allow him to get rid of Roan, Azgeda would be on our doors in no time..."

\- "Hey, Clarke, relax; leave Ulger to me, you save our people." –Samantha pats Clarke's back reassuringly- "So, how's that list of yours going?"

\- "I don't want to do this."

\- "No one does, but the reality is not all of us are getting to survive Praimfaya." -Samantha raises from the table- "Imagine how easy this would have been if we were only the 100."

\- "We were 101. Bellamy..."

\- "Two died in the landing, we'd even have a place for one Grounder." –Samantha's tone is harsh as she quickly brushes her off- "Can I see?"

\- "I'm almost done, I'm considering all options..."

\- "You don't have to explain to me Clarke; I know you're taking everything into account: from health data, to fighting skills, to knowledge of math, physics and all the jazz you could need in the new world." –she enumerates as Clarke offers her the list- "That's why you are making the list; because you know who needs to survive and you're not going to put just the people you love."

Samantha takes the list on her hands and quickly runs her eyes over the names, clearly looking for someone.

\- "You're number 50."

\- "Why exactly am I on the list?" –Samantha glances up from the paper at Clarke, clearly surprised.

\- "You're a woman, you're healthy..."

\- "I don't know if I'd define myself as 'healthy' per se, but sure."

\- "You have the best fighting skills in camp, not only Grounder-style but also with fire weapons like the guard." –Clarke keeps explaining the reasons behind her choice- "You're also capable of leading people and..."

\- "Why haven't you written O's name yet?" –Samantha interrupts her, raising her eyes from the papers as she finishes reading the names- "We are the same."

\- "Your training skills are better than hers and... well..." –the hesitation in Clarke's voice raises all alerts on her friend.

\- "You're not going to write her name." –Samantha breathes out, half annoyed, half surprised- "Why? Are you afraid she'll go rogue?"

\- "Yeah..."

\- "I can assure you I'll be the one going rogue if you don't change that."

\- "Sam, there are only so many places left. I can't just..."

\- "Take my name out, write hers." –she firmly states handing her the paper back- "I'm not getting in the ship."

\- "But..."

\- "No buts, just do it; you can't force me to go inside." –a small smile on Samantha's lips as she rests on the table- "Besides, it'd be a waste of space if you ask me; you don't seriously expect me to stay still for years inside that little ship, right? I'm more of a Grounder than a Sky-Person right now and I don't intend on going into lockup again, thanks." –Clarke looks up at her, following her dramatic hand-gestures with her eyes thinking of a way to convince her- "I'm not afraid of dying, Clarke; I really don't care as long as my place is taken by O."

\- "Sam, we need you."

\- "No, you don't, Clarke. The new world is going to be peaceful considering only this new 100 will survive; you are not going to need me to fight or, for that matter, to fuck shit up..." –she chuckles, clearly entertained by her own story- "You need the brains for the new world, not the brute force."

\- "You know Bellamy..." –Clarke plays her last card, glancing at her sleeping co-leader on the sofa, hoping her friend will yield.

\- "Quit using him against me." –Samantha moves away towards the door- "It hasn't worked since we landed, it's not going to start working now." –she sighs- "They might not be on the best of terms right now but you can't seriously expect him to survive the end of the world without his sister, right?" –she glances at Bellamy longingly, but she can't afford to feel right now; she knows this is what she has to do, she has to save their sister- "I don't care how you do it but change those names or I'll do it myself." –she turns to leave- "And make sure Bellamy doesn't notice, I don't need to have this conversation with him."

\- "Sam, please..."

\- "Clarke, please, I need you to trick him, I won't watch him die or Octavia die." –Samantha gulps, taking a deep breath before the tears have time to form on her eyes- "I was never meant to survive this long and that is okay with me. Change those names, trick him with a different list or change the numbers, but don't let him know." –she glances at her one last time over her shoulder, a soft and sincere smile on her lips- "I'm sure you know this by now, princess, but you both ought to be on that list; the new world will be a better place with you both to lead it, I know it."


	7. Through blood and tears.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After spending a couple days peacefully in Arkadia, Sam has to march back to Polis to check everything is going according to plan on that end, but the news she’s about to receive are far from desirable.

**SAM’S POV**

I had spent the last 5 days in Arkadia, helping Raven with everything I could to and she asked me to do to rebuild the ship, going out to hunt with the teams and just passing the time with Jasper; but I had to go back.

\- “I’m leaving today…” –I informed Raven as we both walked around the ship, checking everything was going according to plan- “…I can’t push it any longer.”

\- “Will you be back before the black rain arrives?”

\- “I don’t know, I hope I can make it back here at least once before it does, but we’ll see.” –I smiled at her as she handed me her clipboard to check a panel on the side- “Gotta keep them under control.”

\- “Jusheda is turning out not to be such a nuisance as everyone expected, rather helpful if you asked me.”

\- “I’ll take it as a compliment.”

\- “It was!”

She punched me on the upper arm as we resumed walking; I accompanied her to her work station and then made my way to look for Jasper, who also seemed to be looking for someone.

\- “J!” –I waved at him, making him turn around.

\- “Finally, I thought you left without helping me pull one last show.”

\- “I’d never leave you without saying goodbye, dummy!” –I wrapped my arm around his shoulders- “What do you need me to do?”

It was a simple prank on Jaha and I was more than happy to help as so seemed to be a couple other kids, which made the process run fast and smooth; even Monty and Harper joined us before going back to work while Jaha was still out.

\- “How long will it take him to wake up?” –Harper questioned next to me.

\- “Oh, give it time.” –Jasper smiled on my other side- “Patience is a virtue, and the reward will be even greater the longer it takes him to wake up…”

\- “Let us know, I wanna see his face.”

Harper spoke before leaving with Monty to keep working, leaving Jasper and me alone outside. I watched them leave with a smile on my face, content to know at least they were still going strong; I was happy for them. I turned my attention back to the lake, sitting on the grass next to Jasper, resting my upper-body on my hands behind my back.

\- “It’s a good thing we never learned to swim.” –I spoke after a couple minutes of silence- “This wouldn’t be half as fun if he could.”

\- “Maybe we should.” –Jasper pocked me with the elbow.

\- “Next time I’m back you and I can give that one a go.” –I pushed him lightly- “I mean, what’s the worst thing that could happen?”

\- “We drown…” –he shrugged his shoulders- “…but we’re going to die anyway.”

\- “Yeah, might as well be doing something productive like that.”

We both busted out laughing. I missed seeing Jasper so carefree, the Jasper I met on the dropship so many months ago. I knew I had to find a way for all of us to survive, I needed him to survive, even if he disagreed now and it was selfish of me, but I couldn't imagine surviving Praimfaya without him.

\- “Why are you looking at me like that?”

\- “I like seeing you happy, it’s refreshing.” –I sat fully straight once again.

\- “Well, then maybe you should stay more time around me.” –he turned his face to look at me.

\- “J…”

\- “No, I mean, next time you come, instead of fixing the ship just come to live life a little with me, huh?” –he squeezed my hands- “Just think about it, I’ll be here once you’re back. You say hi to Lila from me.”

I nodded.  _I mean, after all, it’s not like I’m a mechanic or anything._

\- "Wait, does she know about me?"

\- "Of course, she does! How do you expect me not to tell her about the first real friend I ever made?" -I raised an eyebrow at him- "Not only on Earth but in life."

\- "I feel honored." -he smiled- "Maybe you could bring her here sometime."

\- "I don't trust Skaikru; they almost got me killed amongst way too many other things, remember?"

\- "I don't either."

Movement on the lake caught both our attention again as Jaha seemed to wake up.

\- “He’s awake!” –Jasper announced for the rest of the kids inside as we both rose to our feet.

\- “Sweet revenge, huh?”

I chuckled as Jasper nodded with a massive smile on his face while the rest started to come out of their places to witness the ending to this prank.

\- “Hey, Jaha!” –Jasper yelled to gain his attention- “It looks like you got floated!”

\- “Keeping it busy, I see, Mr. Jordan.” –Jaha answered, but he wasn’t angry, he looked entertained too.

\- “Oh, I’m living it up, every last day!”

\- “With some help, this time too, Ms. Besnik.”

\- “You know me, I’m just here to help.” –I waved at him.

\- “Do I wanna know how you managed to do this without waking me up.”

\- “I’d say most likely not.” –I tried to fight back my laugh.

\- “But don’t worry, the effects are harmless, I promise.” –Jasper explained with a friendly tone- “Well, kind of.”

Jasper high-fived me as everyone kept laughing and applauding and just, overall, having a good time while Jaha started to move back to the shore with the help of a rope we had tied to the structure keeping him over the water; after all, we weren't that cruel.

\- “Alright.” –Clarke’s commanding voice made us both turn around- “We’ve had our fun, let’s get back to work.”

Everyone started moving back to their respective tasks and I couldn’t help but see the concern on Monty’s eyes as he followed Clarke as started speaking with her.

\- “Always killing the mood.” –Jasper regained my attention.

\- “Someone has to.” –I placed my arm on his shoulder- “Come on, one last supervised drink before I go.”

\- “Sounds like a plan.”

\- “I’ll go say goodbye to Clarke and I’ll meet you at our table.”

\- “Cool.” –he winked at me and started moving back.

\- “Don’t make it too strong, I don’t wanna fall from Selene.”

\- “Got you!”

I was certain he was going to make it strong anyway but I truly didn’t mind, with all his drinking I had forced myself to grow my alcohol tolerance to keep tabs on him, make sure he didn’t go overboard; it has been working this far. I made my way towards were Clarke and Monty were.

\- “Sam.”

\- “What’s with the long faces, everyone?”

None of them had time to answer me as thunder started roaring, making us all turn our heads to look at the cloudy sky.

\- “Black rain.”

\- “Alright.” –Clarke took action- “Everyone inside, just like we practiced. Go!”

 _Black rain? This early? That’s not good._ The alarm started sounding and, to my surprise, panic didn’t spread around camp; everyone simply started moving to the inside of the ship, carrying with them whatever could be damaged by the rain. The three of us were the last to reach the door and, as Monty was closing the door, I saw Jasper in the middle of the camp, just looking around, totally unbothered by the fact that he could die due to the burning radiation of the rain.

\- “Jasper, come on!” –Monty screamed, moving outside.

\- “Get in.” –I pushed him back- “I’ll get him.”

\- “Sam, no!”

I heard Clarke screaming behind me but that wasn’t going to stop me as I ran up to Jasper while the rain started falling on us; he rose his head and opened his mouth and I would have knocked him down if it weren’t because the rain wasn’t hurting me.  _It’s not black rain._  I turned to look at Clarke who was looking probably just as surprised as me.

\- “False alarm everyone, it’s your usual dose of cloud water.” –I nodded at her, seeing the relief on her face before turning to Jasper- “You, sir, have lost your drinking privileges till I’m back.”

\- “Come on, Sam, you can’t live your life in fear.”

\- “It’s not fear, it’s worry.”

\- “When did you lose your sense of humor.”

\- “Who said I did?”

I pushed him on the ground, making him land his ass on a puddle, laughing at his startled stare right before something hit me on the face and I heard Jasper contagious laugh once more.

\- “Hey!” –I complained, cleaning my face of dirt- “That’s not cool, I have to get back to Polis. What are the Grounders going to think if they see me like this?” -I joked.

\- “That’s payback, dear friend.”

\- “You’re lucky I like you.” –I offered him my hand to raise back up, pulling him into a hug- “Don’t miss me too much, alright?”

\- “If you don’t either.”

\- “That's going to be hard but I’ll try.”

He pulled back and started walking back towards the ship and I followed to talk with Clarke.

\- “You’re insane.” –she reproached me as soon as I was on the door.

\- “Lighten up, Clarke, we’re still alive.” –I squeezed her shoulders- “I have to go back to Polis, I’ll be back in a couple days to see how things are going alright?” –she nodded at me- “If you need me, use the radio.”

\- “Have you told Bellamy?”

\- “Is Bellamy my dad now?” –I scoffed as Clarke pressed her lips into a thin line- “Yeah, didn’t think so.”

\- “You know how he is, he'll worry and he'll...”

\- “I know, Bellamy, Clarke." -I cut her off before she started rambling- "I told him this morning before he left with the hunting team, he didn't like it but I don't care.”

\- “Be careful.”

\- “You too. I’ll be back before you know it.”

Clarke wrapped her arms around me for a moment, letting go when she was ready. I smiled at her and made my way outside the ship, towards where Selene was in her black rain refuge and quickly strolling towards Polis.  _Let’s see how everyone handled themselves while I was gone._

**\----------------------**

Once I got to Polis, I left Selene at Sheda’s with his horse, Vukan, entering the house to check if Lila was there with O and to change my clothes quickly.

\- “Lila? O?” –I asked opening the door- “Anyone in here?”

\- “Sam!” –Lila came running from upstairs- “You're back!"

\- "Of course, Lila!" -I caught her in my arms as she wrapped her around my neck- "Have you been good?"

\- "Yes!" -she laughed- "How are your friends?"

\- "Working a lot." -I put her down- "Jasper says hi, you remember him?"

\- "Yeah, Octavia has told me about him too."

\- "Really? And what did she say?"

\- "That if I ever go to Arkadia and can't find you I should look for Jasper and you'll be with him." -she shrugged her shoulders as if the information wasn't of importance, and I could only laugh at how innocent and cute she was- "But I'm never going there."

\- "Once it is safe." -I reminded her of my promise and she nodded.

\- "A man came looking for you.”

\- “The guy that gave you the toy?”

\- “No, someone else.”

\- “Azgeda?” –she nodded- “Alright, have you seen O?”

\- “She left early today and didn’t come back.”

\- “Alright, I’ll go look for her and see what Azgeda wants from me.” –I hugged her- “You okay?”

\- “Yes, I’m staying with Ozkan tonight!”

\- “Who gave you permission for that?” –I smiled gently at her; I already knew it had been O, but sometimes I liked to tease her, especially since I had been gone for a long time.

\- “O…” –she placed her hands behind her back, shyly moving her foot in circles and looking down.

\- “Alright, be good, okay?” –she nodded, wrapping her arms around my neck as I had squatted in front of her- “You want me to walk you there?”

She nodded again, before storming upstairs for some things to bring with her; I loved seeing her so happy. I took the opportunity to go upstairs too to change my wet, and dirty clothes thanks to Jasper, before we left. I had another pair of pants and I simply took one of Sheda's t-shirts just in time as Lila came out of her room. After I left her at Ozkan’s house and made sure they could keep an eye on her since I didn’t know what that Azgeda guy wanted from me, I made my way to the palace, finding Roan in the throne room, alone.

\- “Now this is new.” –I looked around, surprised- “Where’s your spy, she never leaves you alone, especially if I’m coming.”

\- “Jusheda, you’re back.” –Roan rose from his throne, ignoring my comment- “Just in time.”

\- “In time for what?”

\- “The alliance has been broken…” –Ulger appeared from behind me, trapping my arms- “Our army marches on Arkadia.”

\- “What!?” –I fought him back, freeing my hands turning to face him- “I kept my part! I came back!”

\- “This has nothing to do with you.” –Ulger had a smile on his face.

\- “Your people did this.” –Roan approached us, his tone was severe.

\- “What are you both talking about?”

\- “We captured two of your hunters in our territory…” – _Bellamy…_  my heart started to pound against my chest- “…one of them was very talkative, we thanked him properly.” –he pointed at a pool of fresh blood on the floor.

\- “Their name.” –I demanded.

\- “Jusheda.” –Roan addressed me- “Bellamy is in lockup with your Chancellor.”

\- “If you hurt him…” –I clenched my fists as I let out a shaky breath- “I will destroy you.”

\- “Your sister, however, escaped just in time.” –Ulger sounded annoyed and…  _scared?_

\- “I just sent Echo to bring her back before she warns your people.”

I knew Octavia, she would die before coming back.  _I have to find her before something goes wrong_.

\- “Echo will bring her back, alive.” –Roan seemed to be trying to reassure me, but that didn’t cut it; Echo had done nothing to gain my trust.

\- “Are you locking me up too with the rest?”

\- “No.” -Ulger quickly answered- "We have training later and I won't have you plotting with those two."

 _I don't need anyone to plot against you._ If I got to the ground, I knew I could make it out of Polis; Azgeda might have been ruling Polis, but that didn’t mean the rest of the clans made it easy. I knew they’d hid me. I had to try.

\- “Can I go to my house then?”

\- “You’re under my supervision.” –Ulger approached me- “I can’t let you alone, can't risk you going to warn your people.”

\- “I know I don’t stand a chance to leave Polis, I just hope my sister will get to Arkadia.” –I wasn’t lying about the last part- “So you can join me, I have shit to do.”

\- “I expected you to put up a fight.” -he seemed almost offended, I sensed he wanted to break my nose again.

\- “The boy is here.” –Roan spoke now; after everything, he had been able to see through me, not that it was hard- “If he weren’t, she would.”

\- “That would be correct.” -if they were giving me an out of this one without seeming suspicious, it'd be dumb not to take it.

\- “So…” –the mirthless chuckle that accompanied his comment was infuriating- “Jusheda does have weaknesses, two if I’m not mistaken.”

\- “I told you what would happen if you tried me, Ulger.” –I reminded him, as I took out a blade and started playing with it in front of him- “Can we go now?”

Roan nodded at us, granting us permission to leave the throne room, Ulger quickly stepping in front of me towards the elevator; I had to think of a way to lose him.  _Lila’s not home, so she won’t be in any danger even if we get there, and I’m going to need Sheda’s horse, Selene needs to rest or we won’t make it very far. I don’t have time to prepare him, we’re going to have to risk it. Where did I leave my bow? I need…_

\- “You aren’t listening to a word I’m saying, Jusheda.”

\- “Was it anything of importance or were you just being a pain in the ass as usual?”

\- “You threatened me in front of a crowd.”

\- “Because you left me to die in the fucking middle of the forest!”

\- “It was part of your training.”

\- “Oh, and what was I training exactly?” –I stepped out of the elevator, I couldn’t let my anger towards him and this new topic fuck up the plan I already had in mind- "Because it looked more like you were trying to get rid of me."

\- “Survival.”

\- “Survival?” –I cocked my head to look back at him- “And what exactly have I been doing since I stepped foot down here? Partying? Eating and sleeping?” -I scoffed, trying to remain calm.

\- “How many times have you been alone in the dark? Forcing your eyes to get used to your surroundings in that setting? Forcing your body to move in the shadows?”

\- “If you wanted me to train my night vision I can think of at least 20 better scenarios than the one you chose.”

\- “It also forced you to be resourceful with nature, find shelter and your way back.”

\- “If you’re trying to convince me about that being a good plan, I beg to disagree.” –I could see Sheda’s house now- “But we can solve this easily, let me get my bow and quiver and we can go out to a part of the forest of your liking and test all those skills; you can fight me too for embarrassing you the other day if you want, I don’t care at this point.”

\- “Alright, but we’ll be going opposite of Arkadia.”

\- “Whatever, I don’t care.” –I repeated as I entered the house- “Don’t touch anything or I’ll cut your hands off.”

He nodded, entering the kitchen and leaving me to do as I pleased, which was his second mistake.  _Not locking me up? First one, wrong choice._  I made my way upstairs, picking my bow and quiver and stopping at my doorway to listen to what Ulger was doing; he seemed still entertained snooping around, so I tiptoed my way to Sheda’s room that was over the stable where our horses were; I opened the window and looked down, Selene and Vukan were peacefully resting there but moved their ears as they heard me opening the window and jumping on the window's frame.  _I can’t waste time hesitating; my sister needs me._

\- “Jusheda!” –Ulger was coming upstairs, patience wasn't one of his virtues if he had any- “What are you doing?” –he spoke as he landed eyes on me.

\- “You shouldn’t trust my kind.”

I jumped out just in time, before Ulger could catch me, landing on my ass over a pile of straw which, luckily, softened my fall but I had no time to grunt in pain; I jumped on Vukan and started moving out of there, looking back to see a tremendously angered Ulger getting back inside as I smiled to myself.  _I’ll deal with that later._ I knew the way that O had most likely taken back to Arkadia, Echo had 5, top 10 minutes of advantage over me so I had to move quickly to catch her and get first to O.

\- “Let’s go, Vukan.” –I tightened my legs around him- “Sheda always was rambling about how fast you really are, show me.”

We galloped through the forest as I tried to keep my mind clear in order not to miss any clues of where O could be, in case something had gone wrong and, if I hadn’t, I’d have missed the arrow on the tree on the crossroads. I recognized the arrow, for each clan adorned theirs differently and this was Azgeda’s.  _They ambushed her. She couldn’t go back and couldn’t move forward for they shut her way._  I forced Vukan to move to my left, through a small path through the brushes that looked like a couple horses had just passed by; my suspicions became clear as I heard another horse.

\- “Go, Vukan, we’re close!”

\- “Jusheda, enough!”

I turned my face to see Ulger, moving towards us.  _He clearly wasted no damn time, I don’t need this right now._

\- “Fuck you, Ulger. Go back to the rock you crawled from!”

I squeezed my claves against Ulger and he immediately understood, following the path I was sure O had taken, becoming crystal clear I was right as we caught up with one of the Azgeda warriors who, for no reason, pointed their arrow at me and shot.  _Fine. This is going to be hard, but there’s no other way._ Considering I had no reigns to grab and no seat to balance myself properly, letting go of Vukan’s mane was, by the book, a mistake but, considering the other option was getting an arrow to the chest, I took my chances.

\- “I’d appreciate if you didn’t drop me now, Vukan.”

I tightened my legs around him as much as I could and rested my abdomen over his neck to gain some extra support as I took my bow and arrow and pointed it at the man shooting me, since he had to turn around to shoot, it was harder for him, which worked on my advantage as I shoot and hit him on a leg; the sudden movement making his horse change ways.  _Let’s hope I don’t have to do that again._ As I grabbed again to Vukan’s mane, a horse without rider galloped on our direction.  _She got one down too._ I smiled to myself.  _We’ll get out of this one._  But the next thing I saw, did nothing to reinforce the feeling of hope I was starting to harvest inside me; Echo was fighting Octavia at the edge of a cliff, pushing her towards it.  _So much for bringing her back alive._  I had Ulger behind me so I couldn’t lose time;I forced Vukan to a stop, jumping from him and I taking out my blade, but I was too late. Echo stabbed Octavia. I yelled as I watched her pulling the sword form O’s body. Time froze as I watched my sister tumbling back towards the edge of the cliff. I threw my blade at Echo, I wasn’t even sure where I was aiming it at, I could only see my sister bleeding from her abdomen, everything else disappeared; I ran and ran until I was almost next to her, throwing my bow and quiver on the ground, but she lost her balance and fell back towards the river. My heart stopped, I couldn’t breathe as the tears filled my eyes; I took the last steps to the edge and jumped catching Octavia’s hand in mine as I held to a branch almost at the top of the cliff. Maybe, we could make it out of this one.

\- “I got you, O.” –I started tearing up- “I got you, I’m not letting go.”

\- “Sam, you have to!” –Octavia grunted, trying to force me to open my hand- “Survive.”

\- “Jusheda.” –Ulger was kneeling on the edge, trying to catch my hand- “Drop her and save yourself. Take my hand.”

\- “Do it, Sam!” -I glanced at her, clenching my jaw as my strength started to fail me; I could tell she was in pain as she closed her eyes and grabbed her abdomen with her other hand.

\- “You and I are a team, O; you’re my family.” –I breathed out, almost consumed by the situation, looking up one last time, seeing Echo standing next to Ulger; the hand I was using to keep both of us up started to shake, I wasn’t strong enough- “Whatever happens…” –I glued my eyes to my sister's as she opened them and they widened as she realized what I was going to do- “Ogeda.” [Together]

I allowed the branch to slip in between my fingers as Octavia screamed at me, but it was true, there was no way in hell I was going to live without her; this wasn’t a choice. I wrapped my arms tightly around her, forcing her to hide her face on my chest as we both fell head-first towards the river.

\- “I love you, O.” –I kissed the top of her head before closing my eyes, ready for impact.

\- “I love you, Sam.”


	8. You'll beg for mercy.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy learns about his sister’s and Sam’s apparent death before the Ice Nation’s army marches on Arkadia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: secondary character's death.

**BELLAMY'S POV**

Kane and I had been locked up at Polis after I had been kidnapped during my hunting expedition and my partner was killed after telling everything about our ship and Luna to Roan.

\- "On your feet." –Echo was the first to enter the cell, followed by Roan and two more guards.

\- "What are you doing?" –Kane asked as we both rose.

\- "We're bringing you home." –Roan answered- "Your ship is shelter from Praimfaya, so I intend to take it."

\- "You don't have to do this." –Kane pleaded- "We can find a solution, together."

\- "That time has passed." –Roan raised his hand, commanding Kane to stay silent- "Get them ready to march."

\- "Octavia will get there first." –I spoke with conviction- "That is, if she doesn't find Sam on her way back and they both get the message to Arkadia and get ready to defend our camp" –then, I mumbled- "Or Sam, being Sam, comes here to cut your head off."

They both stopped moving as if they had frozen on their feet; Roan turned to Echo and nodded at her, who turned around to look at me, throwing a blade at my feet.  _Sam. No._

\- "Octavia wouldn't be taken alive." –Roan explained but I still didn't understand, that was Sam's blade, not O's; Kane looked just as confused as me, so Roan spoke again- "Jusheda found out about our plan, escaped from Ulger to find your sister and get rid of Echo before she was captured."

\- "No..." –the tears in my eyes clouded my vision as I tried to breathe- "No..." -I shook my head in denial.

_This can't be happening, not again, I won't survive._

\- "She found us." –Echo spoke now, she sounded apologetic- "They died together."

\- "I am sorry." –Roan looked down before I turned away, unable to hold it back, falling to my knees as I held onto the bars of our cell- "I truly am."

\- "It was a good death."

 _If either of you screws this up, we die._  Octavia's words from the last time I saw her resonated in my head.  _A good death does not exist._  Sam's voice followed my sister's and I broke, the tears finally spilled from my eyes as I lost my voice shouting for them; I had lost it all once again before I had managed to get it back and now I could never fix what I broke. I thought losing Sam had been painful but this... this was unbearable; the guilt and the pain mixed on my chest and I couldn't think straight any longer, only feeling like I was being carried away from the cell. I was a war prisoner now, but that didn't matter; they could have killed me on the spot and that'd have been better than having every memory with O and Sam play in my head over, and over, and over again.

**\----------------**

**SAM'S POV**

I managed to get my head above the water to breath; everything hurt and I felt like my lungs were on fire but I couldn't give up, Octavia needed me. She started coughing and I sighed in my head, relieved she was still alive after the fall, but not out of danger as we were still about to drown.  _Those lessons with Jasper... those would have been convenient right about now._  I pulled Octavia over me to make sure that, even if I went under the water, she wouldn't. I don't know how long it took or how we managed to do it, but we got to the shore, both of us ended up lying on our stomachs over the rocks, tinting them red.

\- "O..." –I coughed, spitting water in front of me before turning to look at my sister- "Say something."

\- "That..." –she breathed out as she coughed water too- "...was stupid."

I couldn't help but laugh; the situation was fucked up, but we were alive. She rose her head slightly to look at me, a small but pained smile on her bruised and covered in cuts face.

\- "We have to warn them."

\- "And how'd you suggest..."

A noise in front of me made me raise my head to see Helios approaching Octavia and licking her hand.

\- "Never mind."

I rose from the ground first and commanded Helios to lay down before I helped Octavia up and put her on her horse; then, I made Helios raise and took his reigns on my hand and started walking out of there.

\- "I'm going to cut her head off." –I mumbled before facing Octavia- "Don't die on me, huh."

\- "I'm trying."

\- "Clarke will help you. Maybe Abbie is back too."

\- "You don't look so good yourself."

\- "Don't waste your breath on me, relax." –I placed my hand on my ribs- "Although I may have broken a couple ribs."

\- "Sam!"

\- "I'm joking!" –I chuckled, regretting it immediately- "Maybe one. Now, just focus on staying alive and breathe normally; I'll get you back."

Luckily, I knew where I was going and so seemed Helios for, after some time it was more as if he were pulling me to move than vice versa.  _I can't pass out now, Octavia needs treatment._  I knew we were now 10 minutes tops away from Arkadia but I couldn't walk, my legs gave in and I fell to the ground.

\- "Sam!" –I heard Octavia yelling- "Sam!"

\- "I'm fine. I need to lay down." –I rose my hand as I kneeled- "Hold on to Helios."

\- "What...?"

Her voice was no more than a whisper and I knew she was going to pass out any second now, the pain and the blood lost were major and I had to get her back.

\- "Hold on to Helios, O. Just do it."

I patted Helios on the side and commanded him to go home; I knew he'd understand and soon after he started moving away with O on him.  _At least one of us will make it out of this one._ Then, everything went black.

**\---------------------**

**CLARKE'S POV**

I hadn't heard from Bellamy's unit yet and it was started to become concerning; we had sent Jaha and a couple guards to look for them but I hadn't heard from them either. I was walking around the hangar when I saw Monty coming my way.

\- "Hey!" –I spoke to him- "Any word from Jaha? Did they find Bellamy's unit?"

\- "Yeah, they're back and we forgot to tell you."

I was not used to this treatment and sarcasm from Monty but I get her was still pissed after the names of the list had come out. It hadn't been pleasant to watch. I kept walking and found Nia there who greeted me first as we hugged and we started talking about supplies when Harper came from the outside yelling for me.

\- "Clarke! Fast!"

\- "Octavia?" –a guard was carrying her in- "What happened?"

\- "She just stopped breathing."

\- "Ok. Get her on the table!" –I commanded the guard as I started moving everything from the way.

\- "She has a stab wound in her abdomen and she's soaked in blood."

\- "Alright." –I nodded at her as I started the CPR procedure on Octavia- "What happened?" –I asked the guard.

\- "I don't know, she came in..."

\- "Clarke." –Harper called me again, her voice even more concerned than before.

\- "What?"

A guard came in escorting a Grounder I didn't recognize carrying Sam.

\- "What the hell happened?" –I screamed at him, motioning him to put Sam on the other table- "I can't take care of both of them at the same time."

\- "It's okay, Sam's breathing." –Harper stood next to her and started checking her.

\- "Who are you?" –I looked at the Grounder that brought Sam in- "How did this happen to them?"

\- "Ilian kom Trishanakru. I was on my way home from Polis when I saw them. She..." –he pointed to Sam- "...fell to the ground exhausted and slapped the horse to bring her..." –he pointed at Octavia- "...here. So, I caught her and carried her back too."

\- "That's very Sam." –Monty came next to us with a container with water, putting a wet cloth on Sam's forehead.

\- "Come on, Octavia!" –I yelled as I kept up- "Come on." –she finally took a deep breath and opened her eyes; she was dehydrated and disoriented but alive- "Hey, hey, hey. It's okay." –I placed my hands on her face- "Octavia, you've lost a lot of blood, but you're home now, I'm gonna help you."

\- "Azgeda's coming..." –she whispered.

\- "What's she talking about?" –Monty moved next to us with another cloth.

\- "I'll tell you what she's talking about." –Sam's voice was weak and she startled me.

\- "Sam!" –Harper was next to her, helping her up as Sam refused to lay down.

\- "You need to lay down!" –I commanded her while two men placed Octavia on a stretcher to carry her to medical.

\- "Clarke, we don't have time. Azgeda's army is coming to wipe us out." –she started coughing- "Save Octavia, now."

\- "Alright." –I tried to calm down- "Start an I.V, blood, and fluids, and get a suture kit ready." –I gave directions to the people carrying the stretcher before they left with Octavia as I turned to speak to Monty- "Get Kane on the radio and figure out what's going on."

\- "You're not gonna get him on that end, Monty." –Sam got down from the table- "He's a war prisoner alongside Bellamy." -Sam rose her eyes to look at me.

\- "That's not good."

\- "It isn't." –Sam grunted in pain, holding her side- "I need you to fix me up after Octavia, there's something I have to do."

\- "Harper." –I made her focus on me and stop staring at the blood in her hands belonging to Sam or Octavia, at this point, who knew- "Convene the guard, Miller's dad is ranking officer; if Azgeda's coming, we need to plan our defense." –she nodded before leaving- "I'll be there as soon as I can." –I turned to Sam and helped her stand straight, pulling her arm over my shoulders- "What happened."

\- "It's a long story."

\- "We have time while we are in medical." –I looked around for a second, landing eyes on someone- "Niylah! I could use some help."

\- "Sam?" –Niylah pulled Sam's other arm over her shoulders- "What happened?"

\- "Azgeda's what happened." -she answered with a hoarse voice.

After I took care of Octavia's wound and her cuts, I checked Sam's body; she didn't have any visible open wounds but the right side of her ribcage was starting to bruise, I was almost convinced she hadn't broken any ribs but I couldn't be sure without a proper scanning but she insisted we didn't have time, so I simply cleaned the cuts on her face and hands before she left to change and then, we both made our way back to the Chancellor's office where everyone else had gathered and were going over a plan already.

\- "We're gonna pour it into the trenches..." –Miller's dad was talking as we entered the room.

\- "Hey." –Harper was the first to greet us- "How's Octavia?"

\- "Strong." –I reassured her.

\- "And you?" –she looked at Sam.

\- "I'm ready to cut someone's head off." –Sam's voice was harsh and I could tell she meant it- "I'm alright, Harper, thank you." –she squeezed her shoulders, managing to make Harper physically relax- "How are you?"

\- "I wasn't the one that passed out today." -Harper let out a light chuckle.

\- "It's been a long day, trust me." -Sam smiled- "You're better off here, in peace."

\- "You wanna light a fire outside the ship we just spent the last month getting ready?" –Monty's comment got my attention back to the main conversation.

\- "That's not happening." -I moved next to him- "Any word from... anyone?"

\- "Jaha found the cargo truck 12 hours ago, no sigh of Bellamy or Stephens."

\- "That's because Bellamy is a prisoner and Stephens is dead." –Sam moved next to me, informing everyone else there of the part I already knew.

\- "But why are they doing this?" –I looked at her- "There must have been some type of misunderstanding."

\- "Well, they didn't tell me much apart from that we had caused the alliance to break. My best guest? They found out about the mission that left to Becca's laboratory and got some dumb idea. Roan is not one for pausing to think, and if it was Ulger... well, let's just say we should be glad to still be alive."

\- "I have to talk with Roan."

\- "If he wanted to talk..." –Harper argued- "...he wouldn't be coming with his army."

\- "Right, but there's only one way to get here from Polis." –I eyed Sam and she nodded- "I'll ride out and meet him."

\- "No, absolutely not." –Miller's dad quickly disagreed.

\- "Why not?" –Sam asked next to me.

\- "Actually, that might work." –Monty backed us up.

\- "Monty?" –Harper moved next to him- "What are you talking about?"

\- "The Ice Nation thinks Sam and Octavia are dead; they think they have the element of surprise but, since they survived, now we do."

\- "And you are very welcome."

\- "And Pike showed us how valuable that can be."

\- "You're citing Pike?" –Harper scoffed.

\- "I could have taught you that without massacring an army of friends, Monty." –Sam scoffed too, this was a touchy subject and it hadn't been wise of Monty to bring it back up- "Anyone down here could have taught you that. That asshole knew nothing we hadn't figured out ourselves alone when they kicked us off the Ark." –she turned to me- "It's time to go."

\- "You're not coming."

\- "Sure thing, princess."

\- "You're hurt."

\- "Someone needs to be taught a lesson so either you come with me or I move on my own. Roan is yours, Echo is mine."

**\-----------------------**

**BELLAMY'S POV**

We had been walking for way too long for me to even care now. I didn't have the will to fight anymore and the tears had dried now. We suddenly were forced to stop as the Grounders started speaking in Trig but I didn't care what was happening. We were all good as dead now. The one pulling me suddenly forced me to move again until I saw the legs of Roan and Echo's horses and they discovered my face as they forced us on our knees. As I accustomed to the light again, I couldn't believe my eyes.  _Clarke. They were warned. One of them has to be alive. O, Sam..._

\- "Your move Wanheda."

Roan yelled at Clarke who didn't seem too surprised to see Kane and I there; she turned around to look behind her and, as if on cue, someone on a horse moved down the hill, their face covered on an Azgeda mask.  _Maybe it was someone else._  The horse stopped next to Clarke.

\- "Oh, no, Roan." –the rider discovered their face, throwing the mask in front of him- "It's my move."

\- "Jusheda." –Roan looked taken aback before looking at Echo.

\- "Impossible." -Echo breathed out.

\- "If you're going to say I..." –she glanced at me for a second, she had a couple cuts on her face that I was sure Clarke had taken care of- "...or my sister are dead, cut our heads off."

 _They were both alive._  I took a deep breath as I let my head fall back, a tear of happiness rolling down my face.

\- "Now." –she took out her bow- "You." –Sam pointed her arrow at Echo- "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't let this arrow fly directly through your heart."

\- "Jusheda."

\- "The time for talking with me is over, Roan." –she moved her eyes to look at him, the rest of her body still pointing at Echo- "Echo tried to kill my sister, she needs to be taught a lesson: 'touch my family, you bleed.' So..." –her eyes found Echo again- "Answer me."

\- "I was following orders."

\- "Not good enough."

\- "Roan asked me to bring her back."

\- "So instead you try to kill her." –Sam scoffed- "You're making a very poor case at saving your own life."

\- "But I wasn't following his then."

\- "Give me the name of the person that wants my sister dead and I'll spare your life."

\- "Ulger."

\- "Is that so?" –Sam moved her bow as Echo reassured her- "Good, I appreciate your honesty; remember not to cross me next time."

As I thought it was settled, Sam let go of the arrow and I heard a thud behind me; Echo had fallen from her horse and was grunting in pain as she sat up.

\- "Let that scar be a reminder for that." –Sam got down from the horse, leaving her quiver and bow with Helios- "Where's Ulger?"

\- "Jusheda." –Roan got down from his horse- "Enough."

\- "Oh, no, Roan; I'm just getting started." –she came to an stop in the middle of the terrain between the army and where she had left Helios with Clarke, a malicious smile on her lips- "I challenge Ulger kom Azgeda to solo gonplei... to death."

\- "She'll die."

Echo whispered as she rose back to her feet, holding her arm, but Sam didn't hear her and, if she did, she ignored her.

\- "Sam, no!" –Clarke yelled running up to her, every Azgeda archer pointing their arrows at her for the disruption, forcing our people to point their rifles at them- "You're hurt, you can't fight him like this; he'll kill you."

\- "You haven't seen me fight in a while, princess." –Sam's voice was soft and gentle towards Clarke- "I told you I would deal with Ulger, so allow me. Then, you may talk to Roan." –Clarke looked ready to complain but Sam didn't give her a chance- "Go back with Helios; your job is to save people... our people." –Sam faced us again- "My job is killing those who threaten them and that's what I'm going to do." –she rose her hand, standing tall, chin up... she looked so powerful- "Gon daun. Nau." – [Weapons down. Now] she turned to where our shooters were- "You too. Stand down."

Slowly, I saw our shooters moving their rifles down and I assumed the archers had done the same; at this point, I wasn't surprised the Grounders listened to Sam, but it was still mesmerizing to see, especially since we were dealing with Azgeda. I heard movement behind me, so I turned my face as much as I could to see what was going on: the formation of the army was moving to the sides, allowing someone to walk past them.  _Ulger._

\- "Jusheda." –his tone was mocking- "Is this how you want to die?"

\- "I told you I'd cut your head off if you crossed me again."

\- "You don't stand a chance." -he stopped in front of her- "I've heard your hurt... that fall must have broken at least a couple ribs."

\- "Then why do you look so afraid." –Sam smiled at him.

She was really going to do this and, for the look on Clarke's face I knew Sam had, in fact, at least her ribs bruised.  _There has to be a way to stop this._

\- "Why do you insist on sacrificing yourself?"

\- "I'm going to do a sacrifice, but it's going to be your life, not mine; once you're dead, no one will dare move a hand against me."

\- "Are you sure of that?" –Ulger was provoking Sam, treating her like a child- "What makes you think my army won't wipe you off the map?"

\- "Your tradition says they must respect the outcome of the solo gonplei, doesn't it?"

\- "It does." –he moved in front of her- "Say goodbye..." –he pointed at me and, for the first time since she showed up, she properly landed eyes on me.

\- "You say 'thank you' to him..." –she smirked at me, as if that were supposed to act as reassurance for me to trust she knew what she was doing- "I got here because he saved my life way back; you'll die by my hand because I survived by his."

\- "I will kill him after I'm done with you, then I'll go after your sister."

\- "You talk too much. Choose your weapon."

\- "Allowing me to choose first signed your death sentence." –Ulger laughed as he moved towards one of the warriors on the first line and taking his long blade- "Your short blades are nothing against this."

\- "It's good I brought this then..."

She moved her hand to her back and pulled out a long sword too.  _O's sword_... _I've never seen Sam using long blades, this is a disaster._ I yelled against my gag, gaining Ulger's attention as he started laughing.

\- "Not even your boyfriend believes you can win me, no one here thinks you can." –he rose his hands to the air as some of his warriors chanted for him, but not all and that surprised me- "Just because you trained with me, doesn't mean you're at my level."

\- "I don't need anyone to believe in me as long as I do." –she tilted her head, with a side smile on her face- "Besides, recognition is the last thing I crave; I crave blood."

\- "My blood?"

While they spoke, one of Azgeda's warriors had gotten the order from Roan to get in between them to give the starting point of their fight.

\- "I've been trying to suppress my rage for way too long. You pulled that shit on me, against my sister..." –her voice was hard as the grip on O's sword got tighter- "...that's the final straw; you may not be the cause of all my pain, but you will bleed for all of it."

\- "Your death will be quick." –Ulger spoke as the man gave the green light- "We'll honor you."

\- "But you won't be here to see it."

Sam rose her chin before pulling her sword in front of her. I didn't want to look, I didn't want to lose her like this, to her anger, to her pain... I knew what she was talking about, I had been wondering when would she react like O did and, for the looks of it, this was it; the difference? It wasn't me getting beat up this time and no one had their hands restricted. The clash of swords made me look again; the swords were the only thing between Sam and Ulger who was pushing his sword against Sam, pushing her to the ground.

\- "That lasted even less than I expected."

Echo's tone was mocking, angering me enough to push her to the ground but, as she was going to hit me with the back of her blade, I heard people gasping around us. Sam had taken Ulger's blade with her hand, cutting herself, blood dripping down just before she pushed herself up, managing to force Ulger to take a step back, allowing her to stand tall again.

\- "Ready to give up?"

He asked as he strode towards Sam, swords clashing again; he moved to cut Sam's abdomen? She jumped back, avoiding it. He tried to go for her head? She lowered down and cut him on the leg. She moved her sword, aiming at his abdomen but he caught her hand and kneeled her on the abdomen; Sam fell on the floor but moved in time to avoid the blade aiming at her face and managing to hit him on the stomach with her fist; in exchange, his fist hit her right side and she fell on her back as she lost grip of her sword, gasping for air.  _She really is hurt. Fuck this._  I tried to raise from the ground but Echo kicked me on the legs and I fell flat on my face as my hands were tied on my back, watching helplessly as Ulger towered over her; I wanted to scream as I felt the tears in my eyes.  _Come on Sam._ Before he got time to pierce her heart, she rose one of her legs and kicked him on his calf, making him lose balance for a second that she used to raise back up and landing a hit on his jaw; he fell on his knees and Sam simply used her knee to strike his neck. His sword landed next to Sam and she quickly grabbed it and moved back for hers, watching Ulger struggling for air now.

\- "Are you ready to give up?" –Sam asked before spitting blood in front of her, her all too familiar sarcasm carefully interviewed with venom forced a smile on my face.

Ulger clenched his jaw; it was easy to see he was starting to think he had underestimated Sam, and so did I, even Echo was paying more attention now. Ulger had no weapons, clear disadvantage but he didn't waste time to move and practically rip of some guy his spear, doing hand tricks with it, catching my attention until I heard Sam laughing.

\- "Those tricks are worth nothing if you can't hit me."

\- "I can still spare your life."

\- "Spoken like a true coward." –Sam raised both blades- "I won't spare yours."

I kept watching as Sam and Ulger moved in circles, metal clashing but none really getting hurt enough to be in an actual position of danger again; they faded into the background as I saw Kane moving his head towards were Roan was now with Echo as they kept a conversation, their eyes still following both opponents' movements.

\- "She may have a chance." –Echo whispered.

\- "Ulger wouldn't have offered to spare her life otherwise." –Roan's voice was serious before he turned to Echo- "You disobeyed my orders."

\- "I apologize, sire, but the girl was a threat to us; to you."

\- "Since when do you take orders from the War Chief you dislike so much, spy?"

\- "Since they could save your life."

Octavia's sword landed in front of them, forcing us all to look back at the fight: Sam was lying on her back, she had lost both blades and was bleeding from her nose as she looked to the side to spit some blood.  _This is not happening._ Ulger moved confidently next to her, raising his spear to drive it through her heart. I wanted to scream, to run up to her, to help her; I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that I was going to watch her die in front of me.  _Sam, come on, fight!_ I saw the spear raise slowly and lower with force, but I didn't hear her scream. Next thing I know, Ulger is on the ground too, the spear rolling away from them as Sam raises.

\- "You should have made sure I couldn't move first." –Sam walked backward not to lose sight of where Ulger was until she got to O's sword- "For so much training, you're an incompetent fighter."

\- "And you like talking too much." –Ulger rose too, walking to his initial sword too- "First rule of war: save your energy."

He ran up to Sam, but she was ready, stopping his attack with her sword and they started their duel that looked almost choreographed to me; but what would I know about fighting with swords, I never thought the day where I wish I knew how to use them would come but that day was today.

\- "Think about it." –Ulger caught Sam by the waist, pulling her towards him while he had trapped the arm in which she was carrying her blade with his other hand- "I could become King and you could be my Queen."

Sam looked taken aback by the insinuation as she stopped struggling against him and moved her head back to look at him; she was really considering it. The minutes became seconds as I struggled against my ropes and my gag, trying to scream for her, to tell her to think about what she was doing...

\- "You're offering me... what exactly?"

\- "The thing you crave most: power."

\- "At what price."

\- "None. We both walk away alive from this solo gonplei and one of us challenges the King to one. We kill them? We become his successor."

\- "If you're so sure you can win Roan on a fight, why haven't you done it already?"

\- "Because ruling over Azgeda is no easy task. When the myth of Jusheda arrived at our land, people wanted to cut your head off in order to get your power..."

\- "I'm quite aware of your ways."

\- "But then, you started to prove yourself: first, Lexa named you Trikru which proved to me... to us your ability to morph; second, you showed back in Polis after we blew up the Mountain, proving to us your capability of survival and thirst for blood; thirdly, you proved you'd sacrifice yourself for the good of your people; and then, you trained with me..."

\- "That doesn't explain anything."

\- "You've gained the respect of most people in Azgeda, including mine and the King's, which is not an easy task." –he moved his eyes from Sam and looked behind us- "You, Jusheda, are more Azgeda now than you ever were Trikru for you were never really Skaikru."

To my surprise, a section of the army behind us cheered to Ulger's words, obtaining a satisfied smile from him and a look of discomfort and worry both on Echo and Roan for what I could tell.  _The King could actually fall._  I couldn't see Sam's face but I knew her, if she saw in this an opportunity to save us, she'd be the one to kill Roan; and that's not exactly how I wanted any of this to go. If she became Azgeda's Queen I'd have lost her forever.

\- "You mean you need me to rule over Azgeda because you can't do it on your own." –Ulger's eyes snapped back at Sam as she spoke with venom in her voice- "This is not about you wanting me by your side, this is about you needing me to be tied by your side so that you can get the power and control me at the same time, but you've forgotten one thing..."

\- "What?"

She took a step back, leaving enough space between them for her to raise her knee and hit Ulger on the abdomen a couple times, his grip around her loosening; with this opportunity, Sam quickly moved to the side, Ulger's arm sliding over her shoulder as she captured it just behind the elbow by the triceps, wrapping both her hands together and forcing Ulger to bend down in front of her, falling to his knees, his blade long gone and at her complete mercy.

\- "I kneel to no man."

She streaked with her knee once more, this time hitting him on the jaw until he bled; it was painful to watch, terrifying to see how easy it was for Sam to get rid of someone like that. She let go of him, pushing him on the ground, Ulger landing on his face in front of Roan, grunting in pain but never pleading for his life.

\- "I told you I didn't like your War Chief." –Sam reproached Roan, taking O's sword on her left hand as she pulled out Oreth's blade- "I'll solve your problem for you."

Ulger tried to fight her back, but she quickly pinned him to the ground with her boot on his back and piercing his middle with O's sword before pulling his head up by his hair, whispering something in his ear I didn't get a second before her blade moved across his neck, blood dripping down to the ground; Sam moved back, letting go of Ulger who fell dead in front of her, his blood forming a pool around him making Sam's boot's footprints red as she walked to one of the warriors; she pointed at his ax and he immediately offered it to her, not a trace of hesitation in his movements, almost bowing to her; she moved back to Ulger, putting away Oreth's sword and picking the ax with both hands.  _No. Sam._  I fought my gag.  _I had to stop her; I couldn't let her..._  She swung the weapon back and into Ulger's neck, one, two, three times... I couldn't take my eyes from the brutal scene in front of me, the blood splashing everywhere as the head finally rolled away from the body.

\- "The War Chief is dead." –Sam proclaimed making sure everyone heard her, even those at the back as she showcased Ulger's head, his eyes and mouth opened with a traumatic expression; murmurs rose, the tension could have been cut with a knife and I thought they'd execute her where she stood- "Now." – her expression was hard as she pointed at Echo with the ax dripping down blood- "Command of the army seems to have fallen on you." –she walked up to her and my eyes followed her: hair stuck to her face and neck, face covered in splashes of Ulger's blood, the hand in which she carried the ax was bleeding as well as her nose; she looked beaten up but, somehow, she didn't look weak; kneeled in front of her, tied up and gagged I only felt intimidated and terrified but I also couldn't help but look up to her in awe- "But beware, one wrong move and you will end up like him." –after Echo nodded, she strode towards Roan with decided and firm step- "Do what you must with this."–she threw the head in front of him, landing upwards to his feet; he looked surprised but quickly composed himself as he looked at Sam- "You wanna talk with Clarke calmly now? Be my guest."

I had completely forgotten our people where there too as I looked around me, knowing every shooter had been following Sam's movements through the snipper; she turned around and made a sign for Clarke to move next to her. Clarke's walk was almost hesitant as she moved next to Sam; she looked distressed as she tried to hold Sam's gaze.

\- "I solved your problem, you owe me." –Sam addressed Roan again- "So, hurt him..." –she pointed at Kane- "... and you'll bleed." -she moved the ax slightly to point at me- "Hurt him, and I'll put your head on my wall." -she then threw the ax up a couple times, almost playing with it before looking behind us- "I'm keeping this." -she started walking away, moving first to Ulger's beheaded body and pulling out O's sword.

\- "Sam... I..." -Clarke tripped on her words for the first time since we met her, turning around to look at Sam as she kept moving towards Helios.

\- "I thought Sam was still here after the explosion at the mountain, I thought I could bring her back, but I've slowly lost her until she died with the City of Light." –her voice was calm but somewhat nostalgic; it was also cruel, but not towards Clarke, it was as if she just had realized what had just happened as if she had just realized she was losing herself- "I'm done with everyone's games and manipulation; everyone out here wanted Jusheda?" –she mounted on Helios, her eyes on the Ice Nation's army- "You got her." –it sounded like a threat as she commanded the horse to move away, addressing Clarke- "Now you do whatever you must but I want Bellamy back safe in one piece, although I'm sure everyone got that."

\- "Jusheda!" –the voice of Echo startled me for the unexpectedness of the situation as she took a step in front of us, making Sam look at her over her shoulder- "Thank you... for protecting my King like I didn't."

\- "I didn't do it for you or your King." –I swear I saw a smile on her face before she eyed me, her eyes not resting on mines and I knew she was scanning me to make sure I wasn't hurt before she looked at Echo again- "Don't disappoint me again, Echo; I wouldn't want to bathe on your blood too but I won't hesitate." –she then rose her voice- "Try anything against Skairipa, you'll be met with Jusheda's wrath and, I assure you, you won't survive."

And with that, Sam disappeared in the horizon galloping on Helios towards Arkadia, leaving me with a clenched heart. I didn't pay much attention to anything else going on, I barely heard Kane telling me that Sam was going to be okay, or Echo praising her saying she was cold-blooded, strong, vicious and dangerous enough to, in fact, be Ice Nation; not to even mention what Clarke and Roan were discussing. I had never seen Sam like that, it had been brutal and I'd be lying to myself if I didn't say it terrified me.


	9. Back to the beginning, I guess.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Sam’s demonstration of power, she makes her way back to Arkadia where things seem to be going perfectly just before they go wrong.

**SAM'S POV**

After I made sure Bellamy was alright and made a few threats to the stupid army, I moved back with Helios towards Arkadia; my ribs were starting to kill me after Ulger had gone ham on them after Clarke warned me against the fight but I had to do it...  _No one touches my sister and lives to tell the tale._  Sure, it had been Echo's blade but, by killing Ulger, I had gotten rid of the root of the problem and sent a message.  _I'd say, overall, it's been a productive day. I need a shower, I'm covered in sweat and that asshole's blood._   _But first things first, I need to check on O._

\- "You deserve a couple carrots for being such a good companion, Helios, what do you say, huh?"

The horse neighed and started to move faster, making me chuckle and having to hold my ribs but I so didn't care; my family was still complete, alive and, most importantly, safe. The doors of Arkadia quickly opened for us and I was soon surrounded by the guard asking me what the hell had happened out there.

\- "Sam!" –a familiar drunken voice called for me- "You look horrible."

\- "The other guy looks worst, J, trust me."

\- "You sure?" –he took Helios reigns and helped me take care of him.

\- "I cut his head off."

\- "You what!" –he spat out his drink as he scrutinized me with wide eyes- "Well, I suppose that explains all... that." –he used his hands to point at my body- "Octavia is in her room now, you should go see her; don't worry, I'll take care of Helios."

\- "Thank you, J." –I moved to hug him.

\- "Hey, hey, hey!" –he placed his hands in front of him- "Go shower first."

\- "I smell that bad?"

\- "My main issue is all the blood, it's not easy to get rid of that stain."

\- "Alright, fine." –I raised my hands in surrender- "I'll see you later."

\- "Got it."

\- "Don't think I didn't notice that drink."

\- "You were technically back."

I shook my head in denial, smiling to myself as I carried all the weapons I had with me inside the ship, moving first to my room to put unused blades as well as my bow and quiver back on their places and picking up some clothes instead before moving to O's room.

\- "O?" –I knocked on the door- "I'm back."

\- "It's open."

I entered the room and closed the door behind me, finding O lying on her bed with her back to me but turning around as soon as she heard me inside.

\- "Sam!" –she immediately jumped to her feet- "What happened to you."

\- "I got rid of the problem." –I simply answered as I left the clothes on the table- "And I'm here to return this." –I pulled out her sword- "I should clean it first though and Oreth's blade too."

\- "What did you do exactly?"

\- "Lay down and I'll tell you." –I pushed her back on the bed with my hands on her shoulders as she did as I asked- "I cut Ulger's head off."

\- "How are you still alive."

\- "The faith on me in here is on prime time, I see." –I chuckled taking a cloth to clean the sword- "Solo gonplei; the army has to respect the outcome, which is what happened."

\- "Where's everyone else?"

\- "Clarke's dealing with the politics but I'm sure Azgeda won't be a problem anymore."

\- "What about Echo?"

\- "She tried to kill you under Ulger's orders..." –I took Oreth's blade now to wipe it down- "I thought it was easier to kill the head of the snake and threaten the tail; I doubt she'll be a problem again but, if she is, I'll cut her head off too."

\- "I'm in on that."

\- "I know." –I left her sword on the table and then moved towards her bathroom- "I'm going to clean the snake's blood off of me now, you need anything?"

\- "I'm fine, just have to rest. How are you, you fainted on me out there."

\- "I was tired, I'm fine now." –I turned my face before entering the bathroom- "I promise."

\- "Thank you."

\- "For?"

\- "Having my back, we could both have died today."

\- "Falling from a cliff is a legit dramatic way to die." –I pocked my head outside and smiled- "It suits us."

\- "Get in the shower."

She hid her face as she laughed and so did I.  _I'm so glad we survived that. Together._ I started the shower before I took a glance at myself in the mirror.  _I'm surprised no one has fainted._ I took off my clothes and left them on a pile next to me as I allowed my eyes to inspect my body through the mirror.  _Fuck._ My ribs were really bruised.  _No wonder I can't breathe properly._  I was mostly covered in bruises and the parts of my body that weren't, did have dry blood covering them.  _This is going to take a while._

\- "O!" –I yelled- "Scrubbing all this is going to take a while, I'll leave the door open so if you need me just scream."

\- "Take your time, you deserve it."

\- "I'm pretty sure you're gonna have time to take a nap."

\- "I'll try."

I smiled to myself, finally entering the shower; I felt my muscles relaxing as the hot water traveled down my skin, running down my open wounds; a burning feeling accompanying the pleasantness of letting go of the events of that day. I allowed my head to fall forward, hugging my torso as I watched the red water disappearing through the drain.  _Just another day on Earth._

**\---------------------**

**OCTAVIA'S POV**

Sam had finally come back from dealing with the Ice Nation; she had asked me to borrow my sword so that, in a way, I'd get revenge too and I gladly complied. She was now in the shower and I had said I would try to get some sleep but I couldn't so, after a couple minutes of moving on the bed, every position turning more uncomfortable than the last one, I rose from it and entered the bathroom after staggering to get there, sitting on the toilet and resting my head on the wall.

\- "Not that I'd know..." –Sam's caring voice reached my ears through the water's noise- "... but I don't think that's the most comfortable place here to fall asleep, O."

\- "I can't sleep."

\- "You could just lay to rest." –I heard the shower's door opening and a warm wind caressed my cheeks as I opened my eyes, seeing Sam poking her head out, her hair covered in shampoo- "I'd be out shortly."

\- "You can stay in there for as long as you want but, after that, we're going to see someone at Medbay."

\- "I'm fine." –she rolled her eyes, closing the door again.

\- "I'd see about that once you get out here."

\- "Whatever, O!"

I crossed my arms over my chest, closing my eyes again finding comfort in the sound of the water and the warmness of the room, knowing my sister was there with me.  _She deliberately jumped out of that cliff for me; she refused to let me go alone so she just... it was almost suicide..._  I shook my head.  _I could never repay her for that, for truly being with me until the end. Who knows if I'd have made it out of that one without her..._  I sighed.  _Reckless. My sister is the most reckless person on Earth. She cut Ulger's head off, I'd have loved to see that._

\- "That shower was the best one I've had in a long time." –her voice brought me back from my thoughts, seeing her covered in a towel and her hair dripping down, a couple small scars on her face- "Is your shower better than mine?"

\- "Less used."

\- "Makes sense." –she rested against the sink- "What's on your mind."

\- "How'd you manage to cut his head?"

\- "Oh, first I killed him, then I cut it with an ax." –she rose an eyebrow as if remembering something- "Didn't I show you? I kept it."

\- "The head?"

\- "The ax!" –her light-hearted laugh was contagious- "The head I threw at Roan to do with it whatever he pleased, it was no use for me."

\- "I suppose you're right." –I conceded as my eyes landed on her hand, which she was opening and closing as if testing whether she could do that movement or not- "Show me your hand."

\- "It's just a cut, but it itches."

\- "I have some bandages somewhere here." –I rose from my place to take a look at the wound- "Dry yourself and start getting dressed, I'll bandage that for you."

\- "Aren't you the nicest."

\- "You'd do the same for me, you have a couple times already..."

\- "You're my sister."

I started looking for the bandages as she got dressed; once I finally focused my attention back on her she was wearing pants but no shirt and there was no way she could hide the massive bruise on the right side of her torso that covered her skin from just under her bra to the waistband of her pants.

\- "What happened?" –I immediately moved to her, forcing her to raise her arm, regretting it instantly as she grunted in pain- "Sam..."

\- "It's just a bruise; Clarke checked me before and was almost certain it's not a broken rib."

\- "From the fall?" –I couldn't hide the guilty undertone in my voice.

\- "I'd break all my ribs for you, O." –she made me raise my face to look at her- "I'd die for you so just... let it go." –I was about to protest when she spoke again- "Alright, if it makes you feel any better, I'll go see whoever's at Medical now that Abbie and Jackson are on that weird mission."

\- "Let me bandage your hand and we'll be on our way."

\- "Sure thing, strisis."

It didn't take us long to be ready to go to Medical; I lent Sam one of my hair ties so that she could get her hair away from her face and she helped me walk, placing her arm around my waist and I mine on her shoulders; as we got out of my room, we bumped into Niylah.

\- "You're back."

\- "In one piece."

\- "How are you? Both of you?"

\- "We're going to Medical so that she..." –I pointed at Sam with my head- "Gets her ribs checked up."

\- "It got worse?" –Niylah asked, her eyes looked even more worried than her voice sounded.

\- "Ulger decided that was the spot to kick me on."

\- "What happened out there? I've heard you came back covered in blood and no one else is back yet." –Niylah moved to my other side and to help me walk too, and we were on our way again.

\- "I cut Ulger's head off."

\- "No retaliation?"

\- "I may have threatened the whole of Azgeda."

\- "You're a brave warrior, Samantha." –Sam turned her face to look at her with a knowing expression on it- "I mean, Sam, yeah."

\- "I don't know if I'm as brave as I'm reckless."

\- "That too." –I started laughing and so did they with me.

\- "Have you seen the guy that brought me in?" –Sam asked Niylah- "I suppose I owe him a 'thank you'."

\- "No; actually, I haven't seen him since you left."

\- "Who was it?"

\- "A Grounder, he looked familiar but I'm not sure."

\- "Yeah, Trishnakru."

\- "Ilian." –I breathed out.  _Fuck._

\- "What's wrong, O?" –Sam stopped walking as she noticed I didn't move with them- "You know him?"

\- "Yeah, it's the guy that was going on that mission to destroy tech." –I turned to face her, desperation in my whole being- "We have to find him, before he..."

\- "We will." –Sam reassured me, letting go of me- "I got this."

\- "You're hurt, Sam!"

\- "And so are you." –I pleaded her with my eyes as I saw her façade drop- "Fine. Stay with Niylah while I go to look for my blade in case he tries anything."

\- "We can't search the whole ship." –Niylah's distress was almost contagious- "Where would you go to inflect the most damage?"

\- "The server room."

\- "Alright, I'll meet you both there."

Sam stormed out of there running as Niylah and I took a detour from Medical towards the server room, hoping we'd find him before anything got worse. It didn't take us long, throwing the door open and finding Ilian in there with a torch in front of the servers that were, most probably, covered in gasoline or some other type of accelerant.

\- "Ilian, no!" –I yelled, gaining his attention as Niylah tried to hold me still- "Whatever you do here, it won't bring your family back."

\- "No one needs to die." –he faced the servers again- "You should leave."

\- "Please, the engine room is right below us; if it blows, you'll destroy the whole ship."

\- "That's the idea." –his eyes were cold as he looked at us again.

\- "I was a prisoner on this ship; I hate this place, but now we need it." –I confessed- "Ilian, please, don't do this."

\- "Were you in the City of Light?"

\- "No."

\- "I was." –Sam entered the room, blade in hand and moving in front of me.

\- "Then you understand."

\- "I understand you've lost people." –Sam's voice was respectful, sympathetic- "I did too."

\- "Technology caused that."

\- "No, Ilian, and destroying this ship, for what? This tech has nothing to do with that."

\- "Your technology is the root of evil, Skaikru!"

\- "It's also the only thing that can save us!"

\- "We don't deserve saving."

There was no time to stop what he did, none of us could have caught the torch in flames before it hit the floor and the fire started eating everything in there. I saw Sam's face covered in fear as we both knew what came next: an explosion. Everything went black as I landed on the floor. Once I opened my eyes again, I could barely breathe due to the smoke and the ashes covering everything around us.

\- "Niylah!" –I tried to speak as loud as I could, seeing her lying next to me- "Sam? Sam!"

Niylah started coughing too as I heard steps behind me; two silhouettes in front of me before one spoke.

\- "O! O!"- Sam kneeled next to me, completely covered in ashes and bleeding from her nose- "I got you."

\- "What is he doing here?"

\- "He's going to help." –Sam's voice was cruel as she looked up at him, who immediately nodded and moved to help Niylah as Sam placed her arms around my torso to help me sit up- "I got you."

As Ilian carried Niylah outside, I took Sam's hand to stand up; my legs felt almost numb and I could barely find the strength to move.

\- "Leave."

\- "I jumped out of a cliff, what makes you think I'm leaving you behind in this stupid ship, huh?"

\- "It could collide before you and I make it out at this pace."

\- "I said, I got you."

She then grabbed my hand, forcing me to lay my weight on her shoulder before she squatted next to me; she instructed me to quickly lay on her shoulders as she grabbed my right leg and pulled it over her right shoulder, then she rose up holding me in place as she grabbed my hand and leg with each of her hands.

\- "Hold on, O, we got this."

I used my left hand to grip her jacket as she started moving around the ship as fast as she could with me. I closed my eyes for the smoke was starting to itch them as I hoped we'd make it out of this one; I could hear people screaming in pain or other people's name in the distance, coughing and whining in pain but all I could do was hold tighter to Sam.

**\----------------------**

**BELLAMY'S POV**

I was still digesting what had happened once Clarke wrapped her deal with Roan and Kane and I were liberated to go back to Arkadia.

\- "So, we aren't at war anymore?" –I dared asking Clarke with Roan and Echo still next to us as I rubbed my wrists.

\- "For now." –Roan answered for Clarke and looked at me- "Tell Jusheda I wish to speak with her."

An explosion interrupted our conversation before I could ask him what he wanted from Sam now nor could I tell them that I wasn't his delivery guy. We turned around to see a massive cloud of black smoke coming from...  _Arkadia. O, Sam..._

\- "We have to go."

Clarke quickly pulled on me and we did our best to get there as soon as we could, followed by Azgeda. By the time we did, everything was covered in ashes and small explosions took place from time to time as everyone around us yelled and coughed.  _I have to find them._

\- "I have to find them." –I spoke my thoughts out loud.

\- "O was in Medical when I left." –Clarke quickly informed me, nodding in understanding, not needing me to mention who I was referring to- "Sam could have been anywhere..."

\- "I know where she'd go."

I was convinced Sam had gone directly to see Octavia, I knew her. I didn't take one more second to move towards the entrance as I looked carefully around me, making sure they weren't there before I got inside.

\- "Bellamy!"

\- "Niylah?"

Clarke, who had been following me, asked before I realized who was calling for me; the woman was kneeled on the ground with Monty holding her and someone lying next to them with a jacket covering their torso.

\- "O! O!" –I yelled kneeling next to her, holding her against me- "It's okay, I got you."

\- "Sam..." –she breathed out before I could ask.

\- "Where is she?"

\- "She went back in." –Monty looked at me with guilt in his eyes.

\- "What?! Why?"

\- "Jasper had gone to look for her just before the explosion." –Monty confessed- "Once she came out with Octavia, she asked for him and I told her I couldn't find him outside and..." –his voice grew quieter until he stopped talking altogether.

\- "Go." –Octavia pushed me away and I nodded, standing up and moving to the ship.

\- "Bellamy, you can't!" –Clarke pulled me back.

\- "Sam is in there." –I got rid of her- "I'm going to find her."

I saw Roan and Echo standing directly behind Clarke as she looked at me like she had just seen a ghost; Roan seemed to nod at me before I started running towards the main entrance of the ship, yelling for Sam. As I got there, I saw two silhouettes on the smoke at the beginning of the hallway that got to the door, they looked like they were about to fall on their faces before I reached them, finally able to see their faces: Sam and Jasper.

\- "Sam!" –I yelled, trying to catch her but she pushed me away.

\- "Take him out, he passed out." –she saw my hesitation and practically threw Jasper on me- "Move! I can't hold him much longer, Bellamy!"

I picked up Jasper and ran out of there, convinced Sam was behind me but, as I left Jasper on the floor and Clarke came to check him, I realized she wasn't.

\- "Oh, fuck, Sam, why are you always like this!"

I cursed moving back, reaching the door as a huge explosion made my ears start to ring; I yelled for her but got no answer.  _Come on, Sam._  I put my arm in front of my mouth, trying to breathe as I got to a ¼ of the hallway, seeing her lying on the ground, falling to my knees next to her.

\- "Sam, love, please." –I took her in my arms- "I got you."

\- "Thank you." –she mumbled against my chest as I got us out of there- "For coming back for me."

\- "Always."

We got out of there just as my vision started to blurry due to the smoke and the ashes on the air; I strode a couple meters away from the door and dropped to the floor, covering Sam with my body as I heard another explosion. Once it passed, I opened my eyes to look at her; she had hers closed and was covered in dark ashes and was bleeding from her nose.

\- "Sam, talk to me." –I lowered my head to rest my forehead against hers.

\- "You could have died." –was her simple answer.

\- "I thought it was time for us to change roles again."

I chuckled, feeling her wrap her arms around me, so I happily lowered closer to her but keeping my weight up with my elbows, kissing her neck as I hid my face there.

\- "Sam!" –Jasper's voice startled me as he practically pushed me away from Sam and helped her sit back up to hug her- "I owe you."

\- "Yeah, but I'm not doing that ever again." –Sam let out a shaky breath as she hugged him back- "So, next time, stay away from the explosion."

\- "Will do, ma'am."

He pulled away and we were soon surrounded by the rest, Octavia being the first to lay hands on Sam, yelling at her for being so reckless before Clarke interrupted them.

\- "What happened?"

\- "It was Ilian."

Octavia answered Clarke and, as if on cue, Sam's eyes darkened and she rose from next to us, running up to the Grounder before anyone could stop her, throwing him to the ground and punching him repeatedly until I managed to pull her away.

\- "Sam, Sam, look at me." –I placed my hands on her face, forcing her to look at me- "Breathe, it's okay. You're okay."

\- "It's not okay, Bellamy! He just sentenced those meant to survive to death..." –she moved her hands to my face- "He's sentenced you to death." –she sniffled, her voice hard as she fought back the tears I could see in her eyes, shaking her head, her jaw trembling slightly- "You!" –she pointed at Ilian, who was still on the ground bleeding from several parts of his face, pushing me away, but this time I was ready, catching her by the waist and forcing her back to me- "You've killed everyone! You've just killed everyone I've fought so hard to save! I'm..." –she struggled against my grip and, even though I knew she was hurt, I still held her tight, causing her to whine in pain- "You're going to pay for this; maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow, but you'll die before any of us does, and trust me, if you die by my hand, you'll die begging and in pain."

Finally, a couple guards following Kane's orders got Ilian out of there just as the rain started to fall, helping extinguish the several fires going on the outside of the ship. Sam's legs gave in as the adrenaline abandoned her body and we both went to the ground.

\- "I'm sorry." –she let her head fall forward as she hugged her legs- "I tried, we tried... I'm sorry."

\- "Sam." –I wrapped my arms around her once more, placing her head on my shoulder and, seeing she had her eyes closed, I motioned for everyone else to leave us alone- "It's okay, we'll find a way; we always do."

\- "Only a 100 of our people were going to survive in that ship; how are we going to find something like it and, seeing Roan came here, that will also hold his people? A damn bunker is what we need."

\- "I don't know." –I confessed, kissing her head- "But we'll do it together, even if, at some point, it gets down to Clarke's list."

\- "Yeah." –she chuckled dryly- "Clarke's list will save you."

\- "And you." –I informed her, having seen the list and knowing she hadn't- "You're on that list with me and O."

\- "Oh, Bell, you're so innocent." –she shook her head- "I'm not sure I like it."

\- "What do you mean?" –I moved my body so that I could inspect her face- "Did you hit your head?"

\- "You weren't supposed to know but I hate lying to you and seeing how great everything is going, I might as well come clean." –she opened her eyes and tilted her head with a sad smile- "I'm not on that list."

\- "Yes, yes you are; I've seen it, I was there when she wrote it..." –I carefully moved her so that she'd sit facing me- "I made sure of it."

\- "We tricked you."

\- "We?"

\- "It doesn't matter now." –a tear fell down her face- "The ship is gone."

\- "We'll find another way."

\- "Yeah, we will; and if comes down to that list you'll be there with O and you'll fix things." –she smiled- "That's the most important thing here."

\- "Hey." –I caught her face on my hand, forcing her to keep her eyes on me as I saw her intention of looking elsewhere but me- "What the fuck are you talking about?"

\- "Let it go, Bellamy." –she tried to raise from the floor, but she was quick to hug her middle, falling back down.

\- "You are getting a full checkup right now." –I stood in front of her and picked her back up on my arms- "Your head too because you're talking nonsense."

\- "I don't wanna have this conversation right now."

\- "We have a couple conversations to go over but I agree, I need to know you're okay first; that's the most important thing right now."

I took her to where Clarke had decided to settle a new Medbay before we went inside the ship to check its condition, leaving Sam on the ground over a blanket next to Octavia and sitting behind her, placing her head on my legs and running my hand through her hair as Clarke started doing her thing. Everyone had started to build small tents around the ship to expend the night or until we got the clear that the ship was safe to be in again. Clarke spoke to me about the condition of Sam more than she did to her actual patient, probably for the best since Sam didn't take too well being asked to stay low; she had no broken ribs but the bruise on her ribs indicated a rather severe trauma that would take time to heal, more so after everything that happened that day, she also had inhaled a lot of smoke and needed to stay hydrated and away from the ship. She told me she'd keep an eye on Octavia to check on her stab wound and asked me to get Sam away from there and handed me a couple bandages to cover the small cuts on her arms.

\- "Where are you taking me?" –Sam asked as soon as I got her on my arms- "There's work to do."

\- "Sam, you need to rest and I'm going to make sure of it."

\- "Oh, great." –she tightened her grip on my shirt- "I'm not gonna lie to you, I'm tired."

\- "You've had a rough day."

\- "No, just the usual for me down here."

\- "Guys!" –Jasper called for us- "I got my savior a tent."

\- "What?" –Sam moved her head to look at him- "We're back to tents?"

\- "It's not the best..." –Jasper started walking again, guiding us- "... but it's definitively the best one out here, I made sure of that."

\- "What about you?" –Sam asked as we got to the tent.

\- "I'm going to live." –and with that, he left us there, both concerned and startled by his answer.

\- "Can you stand?"

\- "I'm not broken, Bellamy." –she let go of me as I put her on the ground- "I'm just bruised, wounded and tired." –she faced me- "Please, tell me you aren't about to load yourself with work after..."

\- "I'm staying with you."

\- "Huh." –she smirked at me, entering the tent- "So, we're back to the beginning."

\- "You know?" -I smiled following her- "I wouldn't mind."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! Just wanted to pop in and say a massive thank you for taking a chance on me and my work!  
> Fell free to message me and/or leave me a comment with your thoughts on the chapter and maybe on the whole series (?)  
> Yay! All the love, Seira🌹


	10. Starting to heal.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy and Sam finally talk about their issues.  
> ✖️Warnings: a little bit of angst, a little bit of fluff and sexual language and implications at the end I guess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this is a chapter out of the plot because I'm still mourning after ENDGAME and I needed the fluff. Hope you guys liked it. Leave me some comments if you fancy it; those always make me smile and after this weekend and week I truly need it, honestly.

**BELLAMY'S POV**

I was woken up in the middle of the night, met with Clarke's eyes in the dark as she smiled looking down at Sam curled up against me and I couldn't help but smile too.

\- "They've just cleared the west wing; your room is intact, you can take her inside."

\- "Alright." –I nodded, carefully untangling myself from Sam.

\- "You both are...?"

\- "No. We still have a lot to fix and talk about." –I stared at Sam's sleeping figure, trying to figure out the best way to carry her inside without waking her up.

\- "What happened today... I thought she'd die." –she sighed- "It was..." –she seemed not to be able to find the words, but I understood.

\- "I know."

I wrapped Sam up in the blanket and took her up in my arms, her face resting against my shoulder with the help of Clarke as she held the tent's improvised door for me to get out.

\- "You getting some sleep?"

\- "Yeah, I wanted to make sure you both got yours too."

\- "Thank you."

She nodded at me and we silently made our way back inside the ship; Clarke left to her place as I took Sam to ours. I managed to open the door without dropping Sam or waking her up, placing her on the bed before moving back to close the door. Seeing her like that again, so calm and quiet, so...vulnerable, it was hard for me to believe she had executed a man a couple hours previous. I wasn't afraid anymore, I was marveled. I adored her. I wondered whether I should change her clothes or not, but ended up deciding against it; after all, I wasn't sure she'd be comfortable with that since we weren't together. I simply took off her boots and sat on the bed next to her to take mine off, alongside with my jacket and t-shirt.

**\----------------**

**SAM'S POV**

I slowly opened my eyes as the sleep abandoned me; for a movement, I didn't recognize where I was, considering I had fallen asleep on a tent but quickly identifying the place as the room Bellamy and I used to share, him being the next thing I noticed as a deep inhale caught my attention. I rose my hands to rub away the last instances of sleep on my eyes and blinked a couple times, finally able to see properly before turning to lay on my back; Bellamy was lying next to me on his stomach, his left arm now resting over my abdomen, his face facing me. I couldn't help but smile as I allowed myself to admire his features: his messy hair fell graciously over his face partially covering his eyes, I could have sworn he had more freckles on his cheeks now than the last time I had had him this close, his lips were parted and I couldn't deny all I wanted to do then was kiss him. But I couldn't. I shouldn't. Not after everything I had done. I didn't regret the outburst of rage I had and the blood spill that followed it but I wasn't sure Bellamy would be okay with it, I wasn't sure I wanted him to be either, nor to drag him into whatever I had become.

\- "I wouldn't have minded being woken up by your lips." –Bellamy's sleepy and raspy voice got me out of my thoughts- "But I won't complain since you're still here."

\- "Was I supposed to leave?"

\- "You know what I mean." –he rolled onto his side, pulling me closer, his eyes still closed- "It's been too long since we've done this."

\- "Does someone want cuddles?" –I couldn't help but laugh as I pulled him to lay over me, which he happily obliged to, resting his head on my chest- "Is someone needy today?"

\- "I'm just in need of you."

He swiftly moved his right arm under me and his left hand found my right one, intertwining our fingers together. I shook my head, amused, as I ran my fingers through his hair, moving it away from his face; him letting me know he enjoyed it as she squeezed me and hummed in approval. I left a gentle kiss on his head as a smile found its way to my lips. I missed this, him, the warm feeling in my chest and even the heat on my face.

\- "How are you, Sam?" –he questioned, making a pause before speaking again- "Wait, your ribs!" –he immediately moved away from me and, if he hadn't been careful, he'd have fallen from the bed.

\- "I'm fine." –I tried to fight back my laugh- "I made you lay on me, I'm not made..."

\- "Of glass, I know." –he laid on his side, resting his head on his palm- "You sure?" –I nodded- "You sleet well? You rested?"

\- "I slept like a log." –I nodded- "I didn't even feel us moving back here so thank you for that." –his genuine smile made my heart soft- "Did you?"

\- "Better than I have in a while."

\- "Ain't that good news?"

\- "Yeah..." –he laid on his back and, on impulse, I followed him, wrapping my arms around him- "Who's needy now?"

\- "When I went to see Roan back at Polis, I thought they had killed you." –I closed my eyes, hiding my face on his chest- "The pool of fresh blood on the floor as Roan said they had captured a hunt team..."

\- "Hey, I'm okay." –he wrapped his arms around me and kissed my head- "Is that why you were so angry yesterday?"

\- "I am... I was angry for a lot of reasons, but I'm okay now."

\- "Wanna elaborate on that?"

\- "I was too late... I tried to get to O before Echo did, but I was too late." –I shut my eyes harder, not wanting to tear up- "I saw the blade piercing her stomach, I saw her tumble back towards the edge of the precipice, losing her balance and falling." –I felt my breath starting to shake- "I couldn't let her die like that so I jumped... I tried to catch her to pull us both up but I wasn't strong enough... so I let go of the branch I was using to stay up and we fell for what seemed like ages until I felt the impact of the water on my side. I thought we were dead." –I rose my hand to wipe my eyes and cleared my voice before continuing- "I was not going to let that go without consequences."

We stood in silence for a couple minutes, his arms only grew tighter around me which was comforting as he made me feel safe, indestructible...

\- "I was so scared, Sam." –he finally spoke again, raising my chin so that I'd look at him- "I thought I was going to see you die in front of me, powerlessly."

\- "I know." –I sighed- "I know you, nor anyone there really, trusted I could kill Ulger." –I moved my head back to rest against his chest- "But I knew I could and that's all that matters."

\- "No, Sam, it's not okay. I know you, I should have known..."

\- "I haven't exactly given you a million reasons to trust me here, have I?" –I chuckled- "It wouldn't have been the first time I had gotten into a fight I couldn't win. It's okay, I'd have feared for your life on that scenario too."

\- "Can I be honest with you?"

\- "If you ever are not..." –I let go of him and sat up next to him- "...then this relationship is bullshit." –he sat up too and took my hands in his.

\- "I was terrified you'd die, yes; but after everything ended, that side of you... it terrified me."

\- "I can't blame you, that's the whole point of that side of me."

\- "What you said, about losing Sam..."

\- "No, I'm not doing this." –I tried to move past him but he blocked my way- "Bellamy, let me go."

\- "Sam, please, talk to me."

**\---------------------**

**BELLAMY'S POV**

Sam closed her eyes, her head hanging down low; I didn't need her telling me this was hard for her nor that she was aware something was changing within her.

\- "Talk to me."

\- "I don't want to hurt you."

\- "Talk to me." –I repeated, more softly this time- "Please."

\- "I felt so good, taking his life... I've killed people before but this time it was different, it gave me a rush of adrenaline." –she gulped as I moved closer to her, her body tensing as I did; something was wrong, really wrong- "It's the type of rush people expend their whole lives searching for, the rush after doing something that makes you feel good, that you enjoy... and I got it from taking a life." –she moved her arm to wipe a tear threatening to fall down her cheek just in time.

\- "We'll work this out."

\- "What if I can't? What if this is what I really am? Exactly what Ulger wanted me to be, an assassin... a murderer. That's exactly how I got here."

\- "We've all killed people down here, Sam."

\- "Yeah." –she finally met my eyes- "Killed, and most often than not in self-defense, not murdered."

\- "I helped Pike massacre an army."

\- "Yeah, you did." –she ran her hands aggressively thought her hair- "And? You got a rush from that too?" –I closed my eyes, gulping; we both knew the answer to that question- "That's what I fucking thought. We are not the same. You feel guilt over what you did, I don't."

\- "He had it coming."

\- "Of course, he had." –she took a deep breath- "I am a murderer, and you know what? I'm fine with that." –her eyes found mines again- "I understand you're not and that's okay, maybe it's for the best."

\- "I've told you a thousand times, Sam, that's not all you are."

\- "But it's what I'm turning into." –she scoffed tiredly- "We have to face this, Bellamy, we are not who we used to be."

\- "Just because things are changing doesn't mean we can't be here for each other; I want you in my life, and back there I thought you might have actually accepted Ulger's offer, and we both know what that'd have meant."

\- "I don't know if you've noticed, but I have a terrible time being controlled, monitored and/or bossed around."

\- "He offered you to rule Azgeda, the easiest and fastest way to make sure nothing happens to Skaikru."

\- "What in hell made you think I'd exchange my freedom for that type of power? A power that came with the clearly problematic deal of getting married. Married! Me?" –her quiet and amused laugh was enough for me to catch the sarcasm attached to those words- "Blake, what makes you think I'd marry anyone other than yourself?"

My breath caught up on my chest and my eyes widened.  _After everything, did she just...?_

\- "I mean." –she quickly tried to rephrase it after she noticed my taken aback look- "Marriage is not something I've ever had, or have still to this day in mind, don't forget that; so, what makes you think I'd tie myself to some I disliked so badly? To Ulger? Out of all the people out there?"

\- "You just implied you'd marry me." –I couldn't help but smile.

\- "You're missing the point."

\- "Would you?"

\- "Ugh, forget it." –she pushed past me, jumping from the bed- "Our fucked up relationship was not the point of this conversation."

\- "Fine, fine, wait." –I caught her hand to make her stop- "I thought you might take it and that terrified me."

\- "Because that'd mean your chances of fixing us were gone forever?" –she rose an eyebrow at me.

\- "Because that'd have meant losing you forever, losing you to a choice you thought you had to make for the greater good... for our people."

\- "Well, that's not that different from your way of doing things, now is it?"

She let go of my hand and moved to the bathroom, leaving me sitting on the bed going over everything she'd just said.  _We can fix this._ I heard the water on the sink running.

\- "Why did you say you didn't want to hurt me?" –I moved from the bed and rested my weight against the bathroom door's frame- "You meant like O did?"

\- "I wouldn't have just hurt you." –she eyed me through the mirror, her face covered in water- "I'd have killed you." –she sighed, shaking her head and taking a towel- "Sheda was right, I should have learned to deal with my shit a long time ago; he warned me I'd explode so I guess we're just lucky I didn't hurt anyone I care about because I'd have never forgiven myself. Ulger just happened to pull the last string and he got the worst of it; he wasn't even my main problem but his attack on O was the worst shit anyone's ever pulled on me."

She finally opened up; there it was, the anger and the pain I had been waiting to witness first hand but which had never really shown up as she tried to fix everyone else around her, as she tried to fix me and take care of O. Ulger had gotten the rage, now we just had to talk about her pain.

\- "I am."

\- "What?"

\- "Your main problem."

\- "No, not you."

\- "I'm the reason Ion and Lincoln are dead, aren't I?"

\- "I'm not your sister, Bellamy." –she turned to look at me, her jaw clenched- "She may be still caught up on that but I never thought that way and you know it."

\- "Then why are you angry at me? I know you've been avoiding feeling this way but I want you to; it's the only way we are going to get past this."

\- "I'm not as angry as I'm disappointed." –she dried her hands as her voice dried too.

\- "We have to talk about this; I know I'm to blame for breaking what we had and I want to fix it." –she looked hesitantly at me- "I can handle it, Sam; and, if you're still angry after we do this, come train with me, fight me, hurt me, make me bleed for it."

\- "You're aware I just killed a man, right?" -she furrowed her eyebrows- "I'm not as easy to pin down as I was the last time you fought me."

\- "I said fight me, not kill me." –I joked, trying to get her to smile, but she didn't; she remained serious.

\- "Fine. I've tried to ignore it but if you really want to know and risking fucking this up completely..." –she took a deep breath- "I just can't fucking understand what I did wrong, Bellamy. What did I do to lose your trust? When did I miss the lesson in which betrayal was part of a romantic relationship? Where along the way did I become your last choice?" -she clenched her fists at the sides of her body- "Like, I could force myself to understand why Pike felt like a safer choice than me; after all, being in a mob is always more secure than standing alone in a crowd, but still... I thought we were together in this... in everything. So, what's stopping you from breaking apart from me again? How can I know I can fully trust you again? Count on you?" –she drew in a long breath- "You knew everything about me: about what I did and how hard it was for me to lose my grandma, you knew how I craved to find a family, people who loved me and that I did find in you and O..." –her lips trembled and she sniffled before focusing her eyes back on me, her voice nothing more than a whisper now, so vulnerable, so weak...- "You knew how hard it was for me to open up, to trust you and to give myself completely to you and yet... you're the only one that's truly betrayed me."

It baffled me hearing such emotion in her voice; not because what she was saying didn't make sense for, deep down, I knew I had fucked up big time, I just didn't know it was that bad. Sam had been acting so strong all this time, even the times we spoke at Niylah's cabin and at Polis wouldn't have led me to think I had hurt her this deeply.  _A fucking asshole is what I am._

\- "But you wanna know the worst part of all of this?" –she shook her head, a sad smile on her lips- "After everything that went down with Pike, I'd still choose you."

Her voice broke at the end and my heart with it, a single tear graced her cheek while I struggled to keep my eyes focused as the tears crowded my vision. She slid her back down the wall until she landed on the floor, covering her face with her hands as her shoulder's trembled; she was crying. I had always said, since I met her, that I'd never hurt her, I had promised her I wouldn't. I had broken the only promise I was really supposed to keep and, with it, I had fucked us both up.

\- "We can fix this, Sam, listen to me." –I kneeled in front of her, placing my hands on her shoulders- "I know nothing I can say will make you feel better now but I intend on making it up to you, I swear to you." –I took her hands in mine, revealing her red eyes and wet cheeks- "I don't know if we'll find a way for everyone to survive Praimfaya but you and I will and, during those years, we'll have nothing but time to work through this; there's nothing I want more in the world than to fix what I broke, to be deserving of you again."

\- "It's funny." –she licked her lips after she chuckled, but it wasn't a happy laugh, it felt empty, distorted...- "The problem is that I believe you."

\- "Why is that a problem."

\- "May I remind you?" –she moved my hands from her shoulders, almost pushing me away- "I'm not in Clarke's list."

\- "Sam, I saw that list. I read it twice to make sure you were in it."

\- "And I've told you Clarke and I tricked you, not that it fucking matters now."

\- "I saw your name on that list." –I jerked her head up, forcing her to look at me and I pinned her to the wall- "We are going to make it together... The three of us, like a family and we are going to fix our issues and..."

\- "We? The three of us? What are you talking about?" –she cut me off, raising an eyebrow at me before she seemed to realize something- "You didn't count the names, did you?"

\- "No, why would I..." –I stopped mid-sentence, understanding what she meant- "Who did you give up your spot for?"

\- "Someone who deserves to live more than I do."

\- "No one here deserves to live more than you..." –I tried to keep my voice down; I was so angry she'd give up a life with me for who knows whom but I couldn't deny I was also incredibly attracted to his side of her, the side that would rather die than selfishly claim a spot for survival, even if that was the stupidest thing she had ever done- "Not even I do, Sam."

\- "I think we can both agree O does."

\- "What?" –I almost choked on my words, letting go of her as I felt my strength leave my body for a second- "She wasn't on the list?"

\- "I'm glad we agree, then." –she quickly rose from in front of me, intending to leave the room- "Whatever new thing we find to survive Praimfaya, you take care of her; she's going to need you not to go insane trapped again."

\- "This is not happening." –I rose too and quickly grabbed her arm, pulling her back and towering over her- "Whatever we find, I'm not getting inside without you."

\- "Oh, but you are." –she shoved her pointing finger on my chest, raising her face to look at me- "Even if I have to knock you out for someone else to get you inside."

\- "You can't do this... I..."

\- "You'll survive with O and you'll fix things; that's the most important thing here, you'll both move on and will come out to truly live after the radiation is long gone."

\- "Hey." –I caught her hand and trapped her against the wall- "What the fuck are you saying?"

\- "Let it go."

\- "I'm not letting go! How do you expect me to be okay with what you just said, Sam?!"

\- "You'll move on, people always do."

\- "Stop lying to both of us!" –my face inches away from hers- "You're getting on that list and staying trapped with me."

\- "It's too late, the list got out; everyone knows I'm not on it."

\- "It's okay." –I tried to calm down- "That's our last option, I'm sure we'll find something else."

\- "If we don't you'll have to let me go."

\- "How can you expect me to let you go? To let go of the person I want to expend the rest of my life with?"

\- "Bellamy, no." –she pushed me away, moving from the wall- "The only person you should not be willing to lose is our sister... your little sister."

\- "I love Octavia, but I'd choose you."

She stopped dead in her tracks, her whole body tensed as if she had been electrocuted; she slowly turned around to look at me and, next thing I knew, I was trapped against the wall, my hands trapped with one of hers over my head and a sharp knife to my neck.

\- "Don't you fucking dare, Blake." –Sam's eyes were piercing mine- "Don't you even fucking think about that."

\- "But..."

\- "No." –she pressed the blade against my skin- "Octavia was, is and will always be the only constant you need in your life."

\- "You think she'd have chosen you over Lincoln?" –she blinked hard a couple times, her grip on my hands loosened and I took the chance to force her on her back, putting her in the position she had me in a couple seconds before- "This is the same thing."

\- "Lincoln is dead." –she didn't even struggle against my grip- "But I know she'd have chosen him and I'd have been okay with that because Lincoln was your sister's great love, her soulmate..."

\- "That's what you are to me; you can't seriously think I'd choose anyone else over you."

\- "You already have." –she scoffed, all the cards on the table now- "A couple times if my memory serves me well."

\- "Alright." –I let go of her hands, but still kept her trapped in between me and the wall- "It's time we have this conversation."

\- "Yeah, make this easier for both of us, please. Wouldn't want to die without getting the answer to this particular enigma." -the sarcasm dripping from her lips almost angered me, but I knew she was right and I had to fix it.

\- "I know you heard I told Monty when Roan got Clarke that I didn't want to choose between you two."

\- "Which now, with a lot of growth on my part and seeing everything I've seen, I don't know why you wouldn't choose me. I mean, I would." -she shrugged her shoulders.

That statement took me by surprise; last time I had tried to have that conversation with her she had told me she'd choose Clarke too. I gave her the blade back and she immediately crossed her arms over her chest.

\- "I am tempted to ask what's with the change of heart but I won't. For now." –I took a step back and lowered my face to focus on my ring finger, admiring the scar that matched hers- "The Bellamy who said that was trying to separate his duty as a leader from his heart's desires; he's the one who wouldn't want to choose because he'd feel guilty with the choice he'd have to make as a leader."

\- "Get to the point, this is not a conversation I've been dying to have with you."

\- "I would and will always choose you because you are the most important person in my life, Sam. Clarke is my co-leader, sure, and the rational choice would have been her because of that but I know I could never live with myself if I did that; it doesn't matter for what I have to choose, or where we are or what we are to each other: it's not a choice for it doesn't matter who's the 'other', it will always be you."

\- "Heartwarming really." –I observed her, the scold on her face was a contrast with her red and teary eyes from before, matching perfectly her cold words- "Then why let me go after Roan who could very easily have killed me back then? It's not like you could have stopped me anyway, but I've just found this new interest in learning the motive behind people's actions."

\- "I thought I owed it to Abbie."

\- "Why would you owe anything to Abbie? You have been a total of zero times in need of her assistance but, for the sake of arguing, let's say you've been in Medbay once."

\- "But you have." –her eyebrows furrowed as she pressed her lips together, trying to piece my words together- "I thought I owed it to Abbie to bring the person she loves most back safe for all the times she had brought you back to me."

\- "So, you'd let me die trying to save Clarke's life because you think you owe my life to Abbie? That makes no sense, Blake."

\- "Yeah, well, add that to knowing the Grounders wanted to kill her even if they saw her as our only leader and, therefore, leaving us with no actual person to speak for us in front of them if Clarke died; plus I was also trying to act like a leader who's got his shit together and who knows very damn well his girl can take care of herself while Clarke couldn't. I mean, she could but not like you... you were, and still are, something else."

We stood in silence for a couple minutes; I knew it didn't make complete sense, but nothing made sense to me back then which was not an excuse for what I did, but that's how I felt.

\- "I mean..." –she finally spoke again, running her thumb over her own scar- "It's not like you are making a lot of sense with that excuse of an explanation of yours..." –she smiled- "...but I suppose I kind of see what you mean and I guess back then it did make more sense for your troubled mind to think like that; I should have seen it coming too but I failed to help you on that and I'm sorry. Anyway, now that I'm Jusheda and that I know better than to diminish myself it's kind of hard for me to see how even I said I'd choose Clarke, or anyone else for that matter, before myself, so I assume we've both grown." –she made a pause- "Well, over everyone except for you Blakes."

\- "And I'm the cocky one?"

\- "You've kind of lost that lately, so I thought I'd pick it up for you, you're welcome."

\- "I can't deny how fucking attractive that is." –I smirked- "I can see why you liked me so much, must be a Blake thing."

\- "Everyone liked you but it wasn't for your cockiness or else everyone would be on their knees before me, which they are tragically not."

\- "I sure as hell can do that."

\- "I know." –she smiled before she took my face on her hands- "I don't doubt your love for me, you've gone out of your way a thousand times just to make sure I was taken care of, you've shared your dreams and fears with me and I've seen how hard it is for you to see me in a potentially dangerous situation... but I need to know..."

\- "I've never loved anyone the way I love you, not even close. I've never been in love with anyone until I met you and you're the only one towards whom I've ever felt this way."

\- "Lust? After we got together and until now."

\- "I only got eyes for you, Sam." –I moved a strand of hair behind her ear- "It was like that for a while before we got together, remember? It's not even just sexual, I just want to be around you, hold you close... just thinking of holding your hand makes me happy."

\- "I hope you know I feel the same way about you."

\- "I know." –I wrapped my arms around her waist- "You threatened to cut the King's head if he laid a finger on me..." –I kissed her forehead before pulling her closer, until I felt her whole body against mine- "You have to adore me to make such a threat with the whole army behind him."

\- "I do." –she rested her hands on my abdomen as she left a soft kiss over my chest- "I'm still very much in love with you, Blake."

\- "So..." –I pulled her chin up- "Are we going to make out yet?"

\- "Huh." –she moved her hands to the waistband of my pants, her lips ghosting over mine as she forced me to move back- "Wouldn't you like that?"

Before I knew it, she had pushed me out of the bathroom and closed the door after me; I could hear her laughing on the other side, as she opened the shower.

\- "Hey!" –I tried to sound serious as I knocked on the door but I knew I had failed completely, I couldn't fight the smile on my lips- "Open this door right now, I'm not done with you, love."

\- "I'm going to take a shower, so find something else to do."

\- "Why don't you let me join you."

\- "Because I don't want to be in here for hours, wasting water instead of saving it."

\- "Huh." –I rested my back on the door- "You're not denying you want me."

\- "Have I ever." –I could hear the smirk on her face- "Now let me cool down."

\- "We could help each other with that."

\- "It really has been a while since we've had sex, huh?" -I could hear the clothes falling to the floor, my brain running wild- "I really need this shower to be really cold."

\- "Oh, yeah? And how am I supposed to cool down?"

\- "That seems like a 'you' problem, Blake." –I heard the shower's door open and she raised her voice- "But if you're going to do what I think you're going to do, make sure the door is locked; we don't want anyone else seeing you like that."

\- "You want me to wait for you to watch, then? But that wouldn't be fair, I want to watch you too..."

\- "Bellamy, shut up!"

I burst out laughing as I heard the shower's door close and an annoyed huff from Sam. I flopped on the bed, placing my hands behind my head and closing my eyes; I was so relieved we had managed to talk about it; granted, not everything was fixed, but this was a start. A heated one.

 


	11. Chasing desire.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After starting to solve their personal issues, Bellamy and Sam meet with Monty, Kane and Roan to decide what to do next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the lack of chapters last week; I had some personal issues I had to take care of straight away.  
> Hope you guys will stick around!

**SAM'S POV**

I waited for Bellamy to shower after I did and to get ready, both of which he did with the bathroom's door deliberately open. I enjoyed the show, that much was clear for both of us; I didn't try to hide it, lying on the bed as I finished dressing and shamelessly drinking in the view as I supported my head with my hands.

\- "You could have joined me..." –he got out of the bathroom; his hair still damp, trousers lying low on his hips as he looked for a t-shirt- "You know? Instead of preying upon me like a hungry panther."

\- "We aren't quite there yet." –I spoke as seriously as I could as I threw him a t-shirt.

\- "But that's where I'm trying to get us both." –he caught it in the air, facing me completely- "Are you sure we aren't there yet?" –he raised a flirty eyebrow as he walked up to me- "I don't think that message got to your eyes..." –he stood in front of me, taking my chin on his hand- "...or cheeks."

\- "In my defense..." –I pushed him away, raising from the bed; him immediately standing in front of me again, close, very close- "...just because we aren't where we should be, doesn't mean I'm not attracted to you. I can't turn that off."

\- "I'm so glad you can't." –he moved his hands to my hips- "I can't either."

\- "Oh, I've noticed." –I laughed, taking the t-shirt from him and pulling it over his head and, once it covered his face, I pulled him down to me and lightly pecked his lips over the material- "Now, come on; I'm sure it's going to be a busy day."

\- "Couldn't you just have done that without the fabric in between us?" –he annoyedly pulled down on his shirt- "A kiss is not that advanced..." –he took his jacket from the chair but paused his speaking for a second as he put it on- "Hold up, we kissed when you came back; we're already past the kissing step..." -he smirked at me as he got closer- "Sam, come here."

\- "Listen, it's not that I don't want to get my hands all over you but we just spoke about our issues... my issues more precisely; I really don't wanna fuck this up... what if we move forward and..."

\- "I know, I know." –he sighed- "You're right, we're just starting this over. Let's go."

I knew how he felt but, to me, physical contact had a meaning; a deeper meaning than just lust or attraction, it had feelings attached to it, a lot of them...  _What the hell am I doing?_ I eyed Bellamy as he closed the door.  _Am I going to deny myself, and him, what we both crave so much? He'll surely survive Praimfaya that's for sure, but maybe I won't. Could I live with myself if I died as we are now? You know what? No. We've had a conversation, we're fixing our wrongs..._

\- "Alright, I'm sure the..." –he started as he turned to face me, eying me up and down as I closed the space between us, trapping him against the door- "What are you up to now?"

\- "I'm doing us both a favor so stop talking."

I grabbed the collar of his jacket and pulled him down, finally crashing my lips with his. Fuck, it felt so good... it felt right. He didn't waste a second to respond, his lips moving against mine with such hunger I thought we might end up in bed again; his hands slid inside the back pockets of my pants, pulling me closer as he deepened the kiss, his tongue inside my mouth as I rested my whole body against his. It was intoxicating. I couldn't even remember why I avoided it in the first place. We were right.  _We belong together._

\- "If all the favors you do to me are like this..." –he took my chin in his hand, a proud smile on his lips- "...keep them coming, love."

\- "You got it, boss."

\- "Bellamy, come in." –Monty's voice came through the radio, interrupting the moment Bellamy and I were having.

\- "And here I was thinking I could get you into bed now." –he smirked down at me, taking the walkie from his pants but not letting go of me- "Come in, Monty."

\- "We're having a meeting at the Chancellor's office, you should join us."

\- "We're on our way." –he put the walkie away and pecked my lips before speaking again- "This will have to continue later."

\- "Yeah." –I chuckled pulling away- "Saving the human race comes first now."

\- "Saving my family comes first... my girls."

I didn't want to say anything that could potentially have ruined his mood, so I nodded at him with a smile as we both walked together to the Chancellor's office. Roan, Kane, Monty, and Clarke were already there as we entered the room; the tension could have been cut with my blade.

\- "So..." –Bellamy started- "What do we got?"

\- "Sectors 3, 4 and 5 sustained the worst damage; we lost the server room, all of our processors and life support systems, and half of our living quarters." –Monty quickly went over everything- "Now, backup power will keep the lights on at night in the rooms that survived but we'll have no heat or running water from today onwards..." – _well, then it's a good thing I got one final shower in_ \- "... and no way to restore it or reseal the ship before the radiation gets here."

\- "Is there any good news?"

\- "Well, no one died." –Kane sighed before answering Bellamy.

\- "Yet." –I couldn't help but scoff- "Whatever neurons we all have left in our brains, I suggest we put them to good use."

\- "We need to focus all our resources into the nightblood solution." –Clarke moved next to me as she spoke- "Fuel loaded?"

\- "It's in process."

\- "But it's not going to be an easy ride." –Kane pointed out after Monty answered Clarke.

\- "Care to develop that idea?" –I crossed my arms over my chest.

\- "With the secret of Praimfaya out, I sent Echo and my army back to polis to keep the peace." –Roan eyes had been on me since I entered the room; I wasn't sure how to feel about it.

\- "That's good, we need the peace to distribute the cure." –Clarke spoke before I did.

\- "What's the problem then?"

\- "More than half of them deserted on the way." –Roan didn't move his eyes from me, and I couldn't help but get the feeling there was something else he was not saying.

\- "Spit it out, Roan." –I challenged him- "You think they run away because I killed your war chief?"

\- "That couldn't have helped."

\- "Not talking to you, Kane." –I scoffed; I didn't care what he thought but the idea that he felt entitled to hold anything against me was almost dreadful- "I may have cut Ulger's head off, but I didn't make them run away like scared deer, now did I?"

\- "No." –Roan was quick to intervene- "If anything, you showed me which part of the army is loyal to me." –he shook his head, eyeing Kane- "With the end near, they want to be with their families; I don't blame them."

\- "Do you blame them for burning Trikru villages as they go?" –Bellamy asked as my head shot in his direction at the surprise of the statement before I turned to Roan again.

\- "That's funny..." –Roan stood tall, looking at Bellamy- "...coming from you."

\- "Which part of the army left?" –I gained his attention back- "And where are they now?"

\- "Most had pleaded loyalty to Ulger."

\- "Oh, then I can easily fix this."

\- "Enough." –Kane cut me off before I could even explain my train of thought- "We know the woods are a war zone."

\- "Does that excuse the murder of innocent people?"

\- "Murder is the last thing you should be talking about, Samantha."

\- "That's funny coming from 'Mr. Chancellor let's float everyone we can't control'..." –I scoffed- "If they were burning Skaikru territory..."

\- "Sam, let it go."

\- "Fine." –I moved the hand Bellamy had placed on my shoulder away- "I'm focused on saving people." –then, I mumbled- "I can always kill someone later."

\- "So, back to our trip..." –Clarke refocused the conversation.

\- "I can't spare many of the guard to protect you."

\- "My security detail can protect us." –Roan spoke and Kane thanked him, I couldn't help but chuckle unamused again- "We are all in this together now."

\- "Your security will protect you, not us, but sure." -I glanced at everyone in the room before making my way to the door- "Let's get it moving, time's the last thing we have to waste from now on."

\- "Jusheda..." –Roan turned around, coming after me.

\- "Yeah, Bellamy told me you wished to speak with me." –I made eye contact with him for a second- "I'm going to get my stuff; come with me, we can talk on the way."

\- "Alright." –there were two Grounders waiting for him in the hallway, he addressed them- "Get ready to leave."

They nodded at him, eyeing me before they left in the opposite direction we took. Roan was silent as we made our way to my room, walking by a couple guards and civilians; I couldn't put my finger on what he wanted to tell me but I knew he wasn't a threat.  _"You'll be lethal in no time."_ Sheda's words burn through my brain; a painful reminder of what I had lost before I could even call it mine. Thinking of Sheda made me want to tear up and break a wall, so I shook my head getting hid of him, for now.

\- "So..." –I entered Bellamy and I's room to take my bow, quiver and all my clean shorter blades; thankful to have someone there to keep my mind occupied as the memories threatened to spill for the darkest parts of my mind- "What is it now, Roan."

\- "I owe you an apology."

\- "An apology?" –I couldn't help but scoff as I turned around to look at him- "For what?"

\- "And a debt of gratitude."

\- "You're talking nonsense."

\- "I should apologize for not seeing what Ulger really intended to do with you."

\- "That sounds darker than it was."

\- "He'd have executed you after marrying you; he only needed the army to see him do it."

\- "Now that I did not see coming." –I shrugged my shoulders- "Even if I had accepted his proposal, I would have killed him; I like to be in charge alone, I most certainly would not have needed a King. It's fine."

\- "I knew he was never loyal to me; he was to my mother, he appreciated her..."

\- "Brutal force and ruthlessness?" –I ended for him.

\- "You could say that."

\- "Roan, it's fine. He's dead and we have one less problem to worry about."

\- "I'm in debt with you." –he stopped me from exiting the room- "If you hadn't challenged him, I might have never discovered his true intentions."

\- "You think he could have won you on a fight?" –I crossed my arms over my chest, but he failed to respond- "I'm glad we don't have to figure that one out."

\- "Thank you, Jusheda."

\- "Call me Samantha." –I pushed him aside, making my way to Medbay now to see Octavia- "Use that name while she's still around. Now, get out of the ship."

\- "I could do with someone like you on my guard."

\- "Slow down, sir King." –I chuckled- "I just murdered the last man who tried that, which reminds me..." –I faced him- "...you never told me why you didn't kill me that day. And I want an honest answer this time."

\- "You didn't look like much of a threat to me." –he simply mused, now walking past me.

\- "I don't believe you." –I forced him to stop- "Answer me."

\- "Killing a potential future ally is not an intelligent battle strategy, Samantha."

\- "That's even more stupid than the first thing you said."

\- "My deal with Lexa was to bring her Clarke so that she'd lift my banishment." –I raised an unimpressed eyebrow as he spoke- "When the myths of both Wanheda and Jusheda got to my people, I knew Lexa was interested in Wanheda and that Jusheda was the one to disobey her direct order not to enter the Mountain. I thought if you dared to act like that against Heda you'd make a fine ally, with probably nothing to stop you."

\- "Against whom?"

\- "Whoever got in my way."

\- "I got a reputation for not being able to follow orders, but I'm also told I'm good at getting people out of the way." –I smirked at him- "For the right reasons you might have just gotten my help."

\- "You already did."

\- "Ulger, yeah. You're welcome." –I waved him to move- "Get out of the ship, I'll meet you there."

Was that the conversation I was expecting to have with Roan? No. Had it been life-changing? No. But it did show that, even if I thought my actions were unimportant or unnoticeable, they weren't.  _But I'm guessing being considered a potential ally is better than being an enemy, right?_   _Anyhow, I'll check on O before I go._ After the explosion, Clarke had decided to move her again to MedBay because her wound had slightly reopened and she didn't want to risk it getting infected.

\- "Wao, hey there, boss." –I bumped into Bellamy as I got to MedBay's door; I smiled up at him, only to be met with a clenched jaw and eyes everywhere but mine- "What happened?"

\- "Nothing."

\- "Are you going to make me ask again?" –I took his chin on my hand, forcing him to look at me.

\- "We have to go; say goodbye to Octavia and let's get moving." –he took my hand in his and pushed me towards the door- "I'll wait for you here."

I looked hesitantly at him but he didn't say another word, only opening the door and motioning me to get inside. And so I did, but planning of asking again because I couldn't figure out what could have happened during the 5 minutes I left with Roan.

\- "Hey, O." –I spoke softly as I got to her bed- "How are you?"

\- "I'm fine."

\- "That harsh tone is not what I use when 'I'm fine'." –I even air-quoted it as she turned to look at me when something came to mind- "What did Bellamy say?"

\- "Nothing."

\- "That's not what I got from his face a second ago." –I kneeled next to her- "I leave you both alone for 5 minutes to talk with Roan and you Blakes..."

\- "Wait." –her eyes widened as she cut me off- "What did Roan want from you."

\- "Oh, nothing... he thanked me for getting rid of Ulger and uncovering his dirty secrets; he's also convinced he owes me a debt, so that should be fun. I think I could ask for just about anything and he'd grant me the wish." -I took a deep breath- "So many possibilities..."

\- "You're leaving?" –she asked hesitantly as she landed eyes on my bow on my back.

\- "Yeah. We're going to get Raven the fuel for the rocket and, apparently, it's not safe out there." –I kissed her forehead before standing up- "You know they need my help before they get themselves killed." –I smiled- "I'll come straight to find you once I'm back, alright?"

\- "Be careful." –she pleaded after nodding at my words.

\- "And you rest and stay put, huh? No fun activities until I'm back."

O chuckled softly and turned to lay on her side again, closing her eyes; I left, knowing I had a conversation due with her even if she thought she had avoided it. Waiting for me in the hallway, I saw a distressed older Blake.

\- "Spit it out, now."

\- "It's the same thing as all the other times, Sam." –he sighed as he started walking with me- "She keeps blaming me for Lincoln..."

\- "You know Octavia, she needs to blame someone. She did the same with Atom but she came around, didn't she? Atom was a cute guy and she was still butterfly O but Lincoln..." -I sighed- "Lincoln was family; this wound will take longer to heal, but it will." –he looked at me and the sadness in his eyes tore my heart apart a little- "I'm not saying that's the right thing to do, but that's how she copes with pain; trust me, I'd much rather she blamed me. She wouldn't be that much wrong."

\- "She told me the only reason I'm still alive is because I'm blood."

\- "What!?" –I almost choked on my saliva, I couldn't believe my ears.

\- "Maybe she would have killed me that night at the cave... if we had been alone..."

\- "She didn't kill you then and she would never, Bellamy; you're going through a rough patch, sure, but nothing you Blakes can't come back from. I'm convinced."

\- "Sam..."

\- "Besides, what makes you think I'd have just sat there and watched, huh?" –I smiled- "Do you even know me?"

\- "I do." –a small smile on his lips as he turned his face to look at me- "Thank..."

\- "Shh." –I put a hand over his mouth- "We have a deal still standing, my friend."

\- "It's still standing if you never again call me your 'friend'." –he moved my hand away slowly as if he weren't willing to let go.

\- "But we are!" –I protested; I really meant it, first and foremost, Bellamy had become my closest friend before I even as so much thought of him in a romantic way.

\- "Friends don't do the things we do... love."

\- "Oh." –I understood what he meant, a smirk immediately finding its way to my features- "No offense, Blake, but before any of that, you and I were friends."

\- "Were. Past." –he pointed out, my eyes almost unconsciously rolled- "I don't make the rules."

\- "Oh, things have changed a lot, haven't they?" -I playfully nudged his side with my elbow- "What happened with 'whatever the hell we want', Blake?"

\- "Those were easier times." –his voice was almost nostalgic as we made it out of the ship.

\- "Would you go back?" –I glanced at him- "If you could, and just stay there."

\- "No." –he didn't even take a second to think it through- "I'd go back to after Mount Weather and stay stuck there. The first time, I mean."

I couldn't help but smile, looking down and caressing my scar as I thought about those three months of peace we had; I thought we'd stay like that forever... but even forever has an end.  _I don't wanna say that Sam didn't know what she had, but she would have never guessed what we'd become._ I let my hand fall back to the side of my body. _Or what she'd lose._

\- "And you?" -he glanced at me as we were about to reach Roan, Clarke, and Monty next to the Rover- "Would you go back to when we first kissed?"

\- "Yeah." -I smiled, my words tasted bittersweet as I let them out- "I could do with that."


	12. Trust the reckless one.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy, Clarke, Roan and Sam get on the road to get Raven the fuel she desperately needs to get her and Abbie up to space and back safely. But the trip won’t be as uneventful as they’d hoped it’d be.

**BELLAMY'S POV**

I drove the Rover with Clarke as my co-pilot while Sam chose to go behind us in the truck with King Roan for some reason I failed to understand but I didn't protest, I knew she knew what she was doing. It had been an hour or so of peaceful silent drive through the forest when Clarke decided it was time to bring up a topic for a conversation I didn't want to have.

\- "Octavia?"

\- "What?"

\- "You look worried, lost in thought."

\- "Keep your eyes on the trees."

\- "She hasn't forgiven you, has she?" –I didn't answer, I didn't want to talk about my sister with Clarke, I had already done it with Sam and she was the only I'd ever want to talk to- "It'll take time."

\- "I know, Clarke and I don't wanna talk about it." –I sighed- "We have a job to do now."

As I finished speaking, I turned a curve in the road, having to stop the Rover almost instantly as a group of Grounders was blocking the way; I took the radio.

\- "Hand on, we got a situation. Looks like a Trikru checkpoint." –I informed the truck driver, suddenly glad Sam was back there since Trikru and Azgeda weren't in the best of terms right now- "Stay alert and show no weapons; keep your passengers on ice."

\- "Copy."

\- "Wait." –Clarke was quick to speak- "It's not a checkpoint, they have wounded."

She got out of the Rover, ignoring my warning not to.

\- "What's she doing?"

\- "Being Clarke." –I answered on the walkie before I opened the Rover's door- "No one else gets out."

I hung the radio and got out of the car, moving towards Clarke when I heard a noise behind me.

\- "I said no one else gets out." –I grunted annoyed, seeing Sam coming my way.

\- "I'm not 'no one else'." –she scoffed eyeing me up and down as I stood in front of her- "I'm the Commander of Blood, Blake, so move out of my way."

 _Fine, I should have seen that one coming._  She walked past me and towards Clarke.

\- "Wanheda!" –one of the Grounders moved towards Clarke, he looked pleased to see her until he saw Sam- "Jusheda!" –he approached Sam, almost ignoring Clarke as he did and standing in front of her almost submissively- "Help us, please."

\- "What happened?"

\- "Azgeda burned our village to the ground." –he pointed at the crowd by the trees- "My father caught an ax with his leg and we can't stop the bleeding."

\- "Clarke." –Sam turned to her- "The bleeding is your job, Azgeda is mine." –Clarke nodded and moved towards the crowd surrounding the fallen man- "We can go after Azgeda once I'm back from something I have to do, you got my word."

\- "We know you'd help us. We heard what happened to their War Chief."

\- "He was in my way."

Sam shook hands with their leader as I turned to look at Clarke who pointed with her head on the direction of the truck; a Trikru kid was looking around and getting close to discovering the King and his guard. We couldn't let that happen, it'd mean war. Again.

\- "So...?" –Sam asked Clarke.

\- "I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do."

\- "You think you could unblock the road?" –I questioned and soon the Grounders were clearing it.

\- "I'll come back." –Sam reassured them as she started to move back to the truck while Clarke and I got in the Rover again.

\- "We're heading to Polis." –the leader explained before looking at me- "If you're going there, we could use a ride."

\- "We're not going to Polis."

\- "Broadleaf and Plains Riders are moving against Azgeda."

\- "What?" –Sam turned around to look at him- "No, that's not right."

\- "Azgeda did this."

\- "I know who did this."

\- "Sam, get in the Rover."

\- "We have to attack them now, we're heading to Polis to unite with the other clans." –the leader kept up his conversation with Sam, both of them ignoring me- "You should come with us."

\- "I will join you and we will destroy the runway army who did this."

\- "Sam, get inside." –I forced her to me, speaking now in between my teeth, pointing at the kid about to discover Roan with my eyes- "We have to go. Now."

\- "You trust me?" –I nodded- "Then go." -she pulled away and pushed me inside the Rover, Clarke having already started it.

\- "Sam, please, get inside."

\- "Get the fuel to Raven." –she closed the door before moving back- "Now."

\- "Sam..."

\- "Azgeda!" –the kid yelled before I could say anything else.

\- "I said fucking go, Bellamy! Trust me."

Sam moved back, taking out her blades and moving towards the side of the Trikru Grounders getting ready to shoot at the truck.

\- "Bellamy, let's move!" –Clarke yelled at me- "She'll be alright, we have to go."

I wished Clarke had jumped onto the driver's seat instead of me so that I could get down from the Rover and follow Sam, but I couldn't; I had to drive the fuel to Raven and wait for Sam to show up. I knew she would, I was certain; I had no more doubts about whether she could survive anything, I doubted there was anyone or anything out there that could actually kill her. I trusted her. So I drove away fast, only glancing at the rear mirror once, seeing her slashing someone's throat before I could only see trees again.

\- "She'll find her way back."

\- "I know she's going to be alright." –I didn't even bother turning to look at Clarke as she finally spoke again.

\- "Then, what's bothering you?"

\- "What bothers me is that every time I have to leave her behind. I know she's totally capable of doing things on her own, but I'd like to be included in them."

\- "Did you talk?"

\- "Yeah, we're good. We're taking it slow." –I smiled to myself- "I'm not fucking this up again."

\- "You won't." –she reassured me, I saw her relaxing back on her seat from the corner of my eye- "Octavia will come around too."

 _I hope._ We kept driving until we got out of the forest, reaching a clearing with a river crossing it, making it practically impossible for us to cross it without risking the wellbeing of the barrels.  _Fuck this._ I took the radio as I slowed down the Rover.

\- "Looks like we've got another problem."

 _A river? This wasn't on the map._  I stopped the Rover just in front of the water, getting down to check closely what we had to deal with now; I sighed annoyed, seeing no actual way of getting past this.  _Great._

\- "Murphy didn't say anything about a river."

Clarke informed me as she walked up to me; she had been the one to communicate with her mom and those at Becca's lab since they left.

\- "Well, what else could go wrong?"

I thought I heard the neighing of a horse and, soon enough, I was able to see it, reaching instinctively for my gun until I saw the rider more clearly.

\- "Hey there, lover boy!" –Sam waved her hand at us, yelling so that I could hear her- "Mind not shooting me just yet?"

\- "I won't shoot you." –I cleared my throat as she stopped the horse next to the Rover- "But I'm going to kill you." –she got down from the horse, she had some blood splashed over her clothes but it was clear it wasn't hers; she walked up to us or, more so, to me- "Why couldn't you..."

Her lips on mine cut my words easily but she didn't even give me time to kiss her back as she pulled away with a smirk on her face. Any other time I'd have loved that smirk, but right now I wanted to wipe it from her face in several different ways.

\- "I'll kill you later too." –she winked at me as she started laughing.

\- "What did you do?" –Clarke quickly asked- "Where did you get the horse?"

\- "Killed a couple rebel ones, made a deal with the leader and got a new friend. Pretty decent morning if you asked me." –she shrugged her shoulders as she looked past us- "Huh, well, that looks like another problem."

\- "What type of deal?" –I pressed her- "I don't like your side deals..."

\- "His head." –Sam cut me off, pointing at Roan with her finger as he looked at her amusedly.

\- "Sam!" –I yelled at her- "You can't just do things like that!"

\- "Chill out. That..." –she pointed to the forest- "...looks like a problem for another day and, considering how well we're doing here..." –she pointed at the river- "...I probably won't even have to worry about it." –she eyed Roan- "Be more like him, it's his head and he didn't even flinch."

\- "If you want my head, you'd have to fight me first."

\- "Yeah, and you don't wanna know how that would turn out, do you?" –she rose an eyebrow at him; I felt there was something else going on between the two of them but none said anything else- "So, what's the plan for this mess."

\- "The ice melted." –Roan spoke before I could so much as to take a deep breath- "I'll find us a place to cross upstream." –he started walking.

\- "Wait." –Clarke moved after him but addressing both Roan and me- "Take the Rover, you'll cover more ground and you'll be safer."

\- "With him?"

\- "We have to get across the river."

\- "Fine, I'll go with Roan." –Sam moved to get into the Rover's driver seat, opening the door but being stopped by Clarke before she could get in.

\- "No, you stay with me."

\- "Because...?" –Clarke's eyes drifted to Roan's men for a second, not answering Sam's question but it was enough for Sam and me to understand what she meant- "Got it, princess."

\- "You both look for a way to cross the river." –Clarke addressed Roan now- "We'll stay here and guard the fuel."

I nodded at Clarke, moving past Sam who was still holding the door open and getting inside, closing it after me.

\- "We won't be long."

\- "Just find a way to get to Raven, what could go wrong here?"

Roan's men addressed him in Trig, needless to say, I wasn't getting much but it did seem to get Sam's attention as she walked to Roan's side and closed the door after him.

\- "Your men answer to me now." –her voice was harsh- "They screw up, they die."

\- "They know."

I started the Rover and Roan and I were soon on our way; we didn't talk at all, not that I had anything to say to him anyway.

**\--------------------**

**CLARKE'S POV**

After Roan and Bellamy had left up the river, I started thinking maybe there was an easier way to cross down the river.

\- "Sam..."

\- "Huh?" –she rose her head to look at me as she sat on the floor, her back to the truck- "What you want me to do?"

\- "Am I that easy to read?" –I smiled as she nodded.

\- "I know you, Clarke." -she rose up next to me -"What do you need me to do?"

\- "There could be a way to cross down the river... I know Bellamy and Roan left to check the other way but..."

\- "Got it; doesn't hurt to look, does it?" –her eyes settled on Roan's men- "Are you sure about this?"

\- "Yeah. We want the same thing."

\- "You three." –she addressed them- "I'm going to check a way to cross down the river, I want to see this just as it is now. You answer to me. You fuck up? You bleed. Understood?"

\- "Sha, Jusheda."

One of them answered, bowing his head before Sam moved to the horse, jumping on it; she looked at me one last time and I approached her.

\- "Go."

\- "Take this." –she handed me one of her short blades- "Just in case."

I took it and admired it for a second before nodding at her, prompting her to go. I wasn't alone, I had a guard with me; it's not like they were going to turn their back on us, Nightblood was the only solution now, we all knew it.

**\----------------------**

**BELLAMY'S POV**

It took us a bit longer than I'd have liked to find a place but, once we did, we got down to make sure it was feasible.

\- "Yeah." –Roan nodded, he seemed pleased with himself- "This could work."

\- "Sam, come in." –I spoke to the walkie to let her know where to go and to make sure she... they were okay- "We found a crossing. Over." –I waited for an answer but it never came, I could feel something was wrong- "Cargo one, do you read me? Over."

\- "Something's wrong."

Roan worriedly stated before making his way to the Rover; I followed suit, driving as fast as I could back to where I had left Sam, quickly discovering the truck was gone.

\- "Be careful." –I warned Roan as we got down from the Rover; he nodded, taking out his sword and starting to look around- "Sam..." -I whispered- "...where the hell are you?"

\- "Over here!"

Roan exclaimed and started running towards the water; I followed him and soon, we were dragging a body covered in sheets out of the water, my heart racing at the darkest thought my mind could possibly come up with. As we left the body on the ground Roan looked at me, almost prompting me to discover it; I could tell he was tense too. I took a deep breath and uncovered the body's upper half, breathing relieved as the face of one of his men greeted us.

\- "Seiku." –I could tell he was pissed but relief could also be understood in his tone- "We both know who did this." –I looked at him- "Trikru."

\- "Why? You heard Sam, she made a deal with them." –I rose straight- "And, if that were true, where the hell are the others?"

\- "They probably took the truck to go to Polis..." –he observed before his head shot up- "That has to mean at least one of yours is still alive."

\- "And the rest?"

\- "We both know Samantha wouldn't go down without a fight. It doesn't please me to say this but, if I were them, I'd have taken Wanheda and killed her."

\- "And her body?"

\- "Take it with me. She's a symbol after all."

\- "I don't like your prediction."

\- "Neither do I."

We moved back towards the Rover when something near the tree line caught my attention.  _No._ I shot up running, hearing Roan coming after me. There were two more bodies.  _No, no, no._  Roan beat me this time, uncovering both, revealing the only guard that had come with us from Arkadia and another of his men. I breathed again, until something else caught my attention, kneeling over the Azgeda man and checking his wound.

\- "That's Rino."

\- "Sam's blade." –I ripped it from his chest and rose again next to Roan.

\- "She lied." –his tone was both a mix on angry and startled- "She killed him."

\- "Sam wouldn't lie with something like that."

\- "You said it yourself, that's her blade." –he started moving back to the Rover, more so running.

\- "I don't have time for this, she could be in danger."

I got in the Rover, starting it and driving towards Polis.  _This shouldn't be happening, we don't have this kind of time to lose._  I forced the Rover to go as fast as it could handle, not wanting to think of the implications behind Roan's words or the fact that he admitted anyone would want to kill her since she would never agree to cooperate. We drove through the forest again, Roan deciding to start a conversation.

\- "We have to get to them before they get to Polis with that fuel; they'll use it to make bombs, they'll kill everyone."

\- "You mean they'll use it to kill Ice Nation." –I retorted- "All you care about is your own people."

\- "Yeah, like you're any better, that's all anyone cares about." –I felt his eyes on me- "But you seem to forget Jusheda is Ice Nation now too."

\- "Sam's Skaikru."

\- "Jusheda is not one of you, she's one of us. The sooner you see that, the sooner you'll be able to move on."

\- "What is that supposed to mean?"

He didn't get to answer as we got to a bifurcation with a body lying there, so I stopped the Rover and went to get down to move it when Roan stopped me.

\- "Wait."

\- "They left a body. We need to see if we can pick up their trail."

\- "Have you not learned anything from Samantha?" –he looked at me with a scold on his face- "Trikru burn their dead. They're still here." –I looked around, not seeing anyone but thinking of what he just said- "Back up now."

\- "There's no one here, Roan." –I scoffed- "They've taken the truck, the fuel, and probably Clarke and Sam. If you're such a good tracker, go..." –I pointed in front of us- "...track."

As soon as I said those words, Trikru men started to surround the Rover, jumping on it and trying to get inside.

\- "You were saying?"

Roan almost mocked me, but he didn't seem too bothered by the fact that we were surrounded by his enemy. A man got to my window and I pointed my gun at him.

\- "I don't want to shoot you, I just want to know where's the truck and what have you done with the girls."

\- "Give us the King." –he completely ignored my question, looking at Roan with his jaw clenched.

\- "Bellamy."

\- "What?"

\- "The truck's not here."

\- "How the hell do you know?"

\- "Because everyone does what's best for their own people." –I turned to look at him- "It was my men who took it, that's why one of them had Samantha's blade on his chest."

As the realization hit us both and the Trikru men started getting more and more daring, I managed to start the Rover again, backing it up and braking hard and fast to force those on the ceiling to fall, getting rid of all of them before we drove away through another path, following Roan's instructions as to where they should be going and where to catch them. Finally, we got to a clearing, seeing the truck just ahead of us.  _Help is on the way._

\- "There they are!" –Roan almost jumped on his seat.

\- "Hang on."

I changed gear, going faster. One of Roan's men was on the back with the fuel, soon turning to look at us and starting to move one of the barrels.

\- "What the hell is he doing?" –Roan practically yelled.

\- "Weaponizing the fuel."

\- "You said we need every drop."

\- "We do!"

\- "So get me as close as you can!"

Roan was exasperated by now, yelling at me and doing hard hand gestures as he pointed to the truck; he then moved to the back and opened the hatch.

\- "You gotta be kidding me."

I tried to keep the Rover stable so that Roan could jump or do whatever he intended on doing when, out of nowhere, a rider in a now familiar horse started galloping towards the truck from the opposite side of the clearing.  _Sam? How?_  I relaxed for a second, knowing she was alright but realizing on the next what she was doing.  _She's going to get herself killed._  As I got Roan close enough to jump on the truck, Sam took her bow and shot an arrow to one of the men on the back of the truck who turned to look at her, removing the arrow from his leg, ignoring Roan as the other guy got ready to tackle him; the first guy took his spear and pointed it at her.  _No, no, no._  But Sam was ready, forcing the horse to move to the side, making it harder for the man to actually get a clean shot but I knew he'd eventually would as she got closer; then, she did something I was not expecting and that I'd much rather never see her doing again: she got up on the horse, bending forward not to fall and holding onto the reigns still.  _Reckless dumb._ I was close enough now for Roan to jump onto the truck and he did, my next intention getting close to Sam so that she'd jump on the Rover, but she didn't give me time; the Grounder threw the spear at her, hitting the horse a second before she jumped onto the truck. Roan, having knocked out one of the men, moved to the side as he saw her, catching her and pulling her to him before she as so much could fail the jump; they both stumbling with the barrels. I saw Sam nodding at Roan, who moved to tackle the remaining man on the back of the truck as Sam avoided him and jumped on the roof over the driver's seat, starting Clarke whom I could see as we were driving side to side now.

**\--------------------**

**CLARKE'S POV**

After the Grounder's killed the guard and one of their own that opposed to their new plan, Sam had followed us, but they had shot at her and I had completely lost sight of her as I drove through the forest. When we got to a clearing and I started to think maybe this was the end, I saw the Rover coming after us, so I had tried to slow down but the Grounder next to me had realized and pushed the gas pedal with his foot over mine. I was starting to wonder what had happened to Sam when I saw her coming at us from the opposite side of the clearing.  _She must have taken a shortcut, thank God this thing can't maneuver through the trees._  Roan and Sam were both on the truck now, when someone jumped on the ceiling over our head, startling both me and the Grounder sat next to me. I looked to my left, seeing Bellamy on the Rover mouthing 'Sam', so I tried to slow down the truck, the last thing I needed was her falling down and running her over. A blade pierced the ceiling, hitting the Grounder on the shoulder; he yelped in pain and took out his own blade, stabbing the ceiling a couple times, the noise over us stopping immediately. I thought he killed her until I heard the window glass breaking and a splash of blood on the windshield. The Grounder fell forward, dead and I was finally able to press the brake and stop the truck. I heard a noise to my right and I got down from it immediately running to the side, Bellamy stopping the Rover in front of us and doing the same. Roan had jumped to the floor and was holding Sam back, for some reason. Back and up, if I was precise.

\- "Sam..." – I approached her, squatting next to her and checking her thigh- "You're bleeding."

\- "Yeah, it happens when you get cut." –she scoffed sarcastically, but she didn't look annoyed, more so entertained.

\- "What the fuck happened!" –Bellamy was fuming as he got to her- "And what were you thinking."

\- "Nice to see you too." –she sat on the floor with Roan's help- "Those two idiots happened." –she pointed at him before she ripped her shirt and bandaged her leg, Bellamy kneeling next to her- "But we don't have the time, we have to get the fuel to Raven."

\- "She's right." –I backed her up- "I'll drive the fuel."

\- "You're coming with me now." –Bellamy was quick to command Sam, helping her up as she was about to speak- "No, no complains."

\- "I wasn't going to complain about going in the Rover, I was going to complain about me not needing help to walk." –she moved her arm from Bellamy's shoulders- "It's superficial, let's go."

And it was true, it wasn't anything major but I knew Bellamy, it didn't matter if it was a blade through her abdomen or a papercut, the look of sheer panic in his eyes every time Sam got hurt was enough for anyone to realize how much and how deeply he cared for her. And, considering Sam was bleeding most of the time, I wasn't sure how he wasn't drained from any energy he might have left. Of course, I knew she felt the same way, but Bellamy was not so prompt to getting cut or stabbed.

**\------------------------**

**BELLAMY'S POV**

Sam and I got back in the Rover, driving back to the place Roan and I had found to cross the river and not stopping until we got to the ocean. Sam reclined on her seat, closed eyes and feet up on the dashboard, her body language only radiated her trust for me, a small smile on my lips as we drove in peaceful silence.

\- "What happened?" –I finally asked, having gone over all the possible scenarios in my head- "Why didn't they kidnap you too?"

\- "Clarke asked me to check for a way to cross down the river; got on the horse, moved down the shore, moved back because I couldn't find anything and I didn't like the idea of Clarke alone with those brutes." –her tone was flat, no emotions to it as if she were just solving a math's problem- "Got there, they had killed the guard and the Azgeda guy on our side; I assume Clarke had killed one of them for I only saw two on the truck as they started to move away. I followed them on the horse, got shot an arrow and had to find another way. The rest is history." –she opened her eyes and looked around, putting her feet on the floor again- "Where are we?"

\- "Almost there." –I glanced at her for a second- "Sam..."

\- "Shut up. I chose to stay so don't even start. You need to get rid of the guilt I see in your eyes every time I get hurt, it's not your doing, it's mine." –I saw her turning to face me from the corner of my eye- "You showed back up just in time."

\- "Yeah." – I chuckled looking at her- "You looked like you needed help."

\- "Please..." –she rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest- "I had it under control."

\- "Sure." –I placed my hand on her thigh, rubbing my thumb over the fabric of her pants- "Especially jumping from the horse, that was clearly calculated by the millimeter."

\- "Of course." –she chuckled- "Don't you know who you're talking to?"

\- "Jusheda, alright."

\- "Oh no, Jusheda is the one who was about to cut their heads off but was stopped by Roan. Sam was just pissed those two decided to take away our only solution to this big mess. You know? Ion always reprimanded me when I brought the topic of getting up on the horse, or riding without hands... he asked me to never do that..." –her voice went quiet, I knew she missed him- "Ulger, however, taught me how to control it, not to do it safely because you can't, but how not to fall as soon as you raise; it's all about stability and balance." –she let out a small laugh, more like a short huff of air out of her nose- "Ironic; turns out maybe he did teach me a couple things."

\- "You did what you had to do."

\- "I know. I just, looking back, I didn't think that arrogant piece of shit could teach me anything useful, but he did. Maybe I do still have a lot to learn." –she let her head fall back, looking through the window- "Too bad everyone willing to do it is dead... maybe it's better this way."

\- "Sam..." –I squeezed her thigh to regain her attention- "Oreth and Ion would be so proud of you." –she faced me with sad eyes- "Sheda would be the proudest. He loved you so deeply, Sam..."

\- "Bellamy, please, I can't do this right now." –she sniffled, wiping her eyes- "I can't break now." –she took my hand in hers, intertwining our fingers together- "But I really appreciate your words, I really do." –she took my hand to her lips and kissed it- "I don't deserve you."

\- "You deserve the world." –I squeezed her hand just as we exited the forest and made it to the beach- "And I intend on giving it to you."

\- "How about we don't drown first, huh?" –she smiled, pointing in front of us.

\- "That'd be a good start..." –I took my hand from her thigh and used it maneuver the Rover and stop it just in front of the water- "Yeah."

She started laughing whole-heartedly and I did too; I knew I'd forever cherish the simple moments of peace I had with her, no matter what happened or where we ended up. We got down from the Rover just as Clarke stopped the truck behind it, Sam stretched her arms and sat on the sand, her knees to her chest as she closed her eyes. I stood behind her, she immediately resting her back against my legs as I smiled. If only we could stay like that.

\- "I'll unload the fuel." –Roan proclaimed as he moved to the back of the truck as Clarke walked up next to us.

\- "Yeah, let the King do the work for once." –Sam chuckled, looking back at Roan who either didn't hear her or chose to ignore her comment.

\- "I have to take the Rover back to Arkadia." –I proclaimed as the three of us were together.

\- "Octavia?" –Clarke soon asked but I didn't feel like talking about it with her, which is why I appreciated Sam speaking up.

\- "Don't you worry, boss, I'll keep the princess safe and sound."

\- "And yourself too."

\- "What could go wrong?" –she rose her head to look up at me, sticking out her tongue playfully.

\- "We've got a problem." –Roan announced, forcing us three to turn to look at him- "You should see this."

Sam jumped to her feet and we all moved to the back of the trunk, Roan pushing one of the barrels to the edge for us to see. It had an arrow on it.

\- "That wasn't me."

\- "I know." –Roan answered her- "Trikru arrow."

He pushed the barrel, making it fall to the ground in front of us, the lid opening and revealing the empty inside.  _Fuck._


	13. The mansion.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roan, Clarke and Sam arrive at Becca’s Island.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, this one is shorter but I have an explanation: Tumblr is fucking up again and, apparently, posts longer than 1.2k words sometimes get erased from the tags, which is what's been happening to the latest chapters of SR. I thought I'd cut one in half to see if they show up again.  
> I'm so sorry, bear with me, please; I'm trying my best.

**SAM'S POV**

I watched Bellamy leave with the Rover back to Arkadia; I knew he was debating whether he should have come with me or not, but I also knew he needed to go back to Octavia. I was certain they'd manage to fix their relationship but not overnight and he needed to understand that. The trip to the Island wasn't that bad, considering Emori was the one to come pick us up so, while Clarke mourned the loss of the barrel and Roan isolated himself as he used to do, I stood with Emori, making her company while she navigated the waters.

\- "So... I never got that letter that you left." –I smiled, looking at her.

\- "We left to the forest first, the Murphy realized he's a better stealer than hunter so he went back to Arkadia and that's when he heard what was coming." –she eyed me and I nodded- "We decided to make ourselves useful to ensure we both got to survive..."

\- "Oh, trust me, as long as I'm here, you both are making it through."

\- "I heard about the list; I'm not surprised I wasn't in it and Murphy wasn't either, of course... but you?"

\- "I gave up my spot."

\- "You're insane." –she let out a small laugh as she shook her head.

\- "I know..." –I smiled to myself- "But let's not talk about our imminent disappearance from Earth. How about you tell me what's in that island."

\- "Oh, you're going to love it." –she really looked excited to show me- "Once we get here, I'll get you to the house."

\- "Is Murphy there or at the lab?"

\- "It's not like Murphy and I know a lot about lab stuff... we've been at the house. He's got a surprise."

\- "Oh, now this is something I have to see through." –I laughed, only imagining what Murphy was planning made me feel better about everything- "Hold up, I hope it's a good thing."

\- "I guess we'll see once we get there."

I nodded at her words and we kept floating in peaceful silence. I liked Emori, I really did. I saw how Murphy looked at her, he looked happy, and that was everything I wanted for him; sure, we had our ups and downs, but that little shit was family since we landed. Once we got to the island, Murphy was nowhere to be seen but Jackson was there.

\- "I'm surprised you aren't bleeding."

\- "Well, that isn't 100% correct." –I pointed at my thigh.

\- "That's more like you, yeah."

\- "A minor scratch so nothing to worry about for once."

We both laughed. He helped us unload the barrels -us being Emori, Roan and me since Clarke left to talk with her mom, of course. As we finished, Emori and Jackson moved to the lab, leaving me alone with Roan; not that I minded. I sat on the ground just outside the entrance of the lab from where I could see the ocean and the forest surrounding the island; I loved it, it was magnificent, like a breath of fresh air, so calm, so quiet...

\- "What now?" –Roan finally spoke, coming to stand next to me; arms crossed over her chest and looking ahead of us.

\- "I don't know." –I moved my head to look back at the scenery in front of me- "But we'll find a way."

\- "Why are you so sure?"

\- "Because it's what we've been doing since we landed. Surviving."

\- "There's a lot more people to save this time."

\- "I can't look out for all of them." –I looked up at him- "I have priorities, just like you do."

He nodded but didn't say anything else for a while.

\- "With your help, I believe we could get my army back together."

\- "You think your army would listen to me? One fallen from the sky?"

\- "Just like I told Bellamy this morning, no one believes you're Skaikru anymore."

\- "Your army won't listen to Trikru."

\- "But they'll listen to Jusheda, domina of Azgeda."

\- "Don't tell me you're making me the same offer Ulger did." –I rose from the ground, standing in front of him with an eyebrow raised- "What did you do with his head?"

\- "I need to keep my people under control, I can't have them running around."

\- "And why is that my problem?"

\- "You are not aware of what you did, are you?"

\- "Are you reprimanding me for killing Ulger?"

\- "No, I'm simply saying you don't know the lengths of what you did."

\- "And I believe you are eager to explain them. Please do."

\- "Sam!" –I looked behind Roan to see Emori coming out of the bunker, waving her hand at me- "Let's go."

\- "This conversation will have to wait, Roan."

\- "As you please."

\- "I won't forget, don't worry."

I left Roan there, taking my bag from the ground and walking up to Emori just as Clarke made it out of the lab too. I forced my conversation with Roan to the back of my mind, the time for that would come and it wasn't now; we had bigger issues at hand and now I only wanted to see Murphy. It was a decent walk from the lab to the mansion, nothing out of the ordinary considering all the walking I was used to doing.; it was a silent one for the most part, I felt like Emori wasn't comfortable around Clarke but maybe I was just seeing things.

\- "Raven said the black rain will be here soon." –Emori commented.

\- "She's right." –Clarke answered quickly- "I used to love the rain, now it terrifies me."

\- "Look on the bright side, at least it's black rain and not black wind. That would be a whole nother problem."

\- "That's true." –Emori laughed at my side- "I'd thought nothing terrified you, Clarke."

\- "Did I say something wrong?" –Clarke looked concerned at Emori.

_Alright, so it's not just me, cool._

\- "No." –Emori quickly answered, her tone was cutting- "I just... hate this island, that's all."

\- "Really?" –I was surprised- "What do I not know."

\- "Murphy said you used to work here, right?"

\- "Yeah... something like that."

\- "Scavenging tech for A.L.I.E.?" –Clarke kept pushing Emori to speak but she kept silent- "Sorry, too many questions."

\- "Ignore me, I'm just upset that our mission here has failed."

\- "Hey." –I squeezed her arm- "We'll find a way for us to survive, Emori; you're family now so that includes you."

\- "Thank you, Sam." –she nodded at me before taking a walkie from her belt- "We're on the tree line, coming in."

\- "Copy that." –Jackson answered- "You're good to go."

We walked the last couple of meters in silence. I could see a lot of lights so it really was more of a mansion than a house. As we got to the entrance, I could hear rock music being played somewhere near us and that immediately caught my attention; that is until I saw everything else there.

\- "There is a pool?" –I exclaimed as we walked past it- "Wao. I can't believe this was here the whole time and we were leaving in tents. That's just fucked up."

\- "Well, this wasn't precisely deserted." –Emori chuckled as we went up some stairs.

\- "Fair enough."

At the top of the stairs, there was a wall of windows that allowed us to see the interior of the house: Murphy was dancing inside in the massive kitchen as I could only laugh before I allowed my eyes to wander around. Suddenly, a delicious smell caught my attention just as Emori opened a door for us to get inside.  _No way he cooked that._

\- "No way!" –I threw my back to the floor as soon as I was inside- "You're joking, right?" –I moved towards Murphy- "You did not cook whatever that is that smells so good I could eat my weight on it."

\- "You are very welcome, Sam." –he turned to face me with a spoon- "Here, try it."

I didn't bother being shy about it; I opened my mouth and soon my senses where overwhelmed with a festival of tastes. I had no idea what it was, but that shit was good.

\- "Shit, M!" –I spoke as soon as I got back to reality- "That's delicious! Since when can you cook? Where have you been all my life?"

\- "Slow down, Sam, I'm taken." –he held Emori close to him as she laughed and I rolled my eyes, trying to fight the smile on my face- "But I can always cook you something when I'm around."

\- "That's a deal."

\- "I'll go get clean up while you guys catch up." –Clarke spoke from behind me, making me turn around to look at her.

\- "Alright." –Murphy quickly answered- "Let me show you where to go."

\- "Upstairs." –Emori pulled him back- "Down the hall."

\- "Thanks."

Clarke nodded and left, almost in a hurry, as is she didn't want to be there.

\- "Fine." –I crossed my arms over my chest, looking at them both- "What was that about?" –I furrowed my eyebrows- "I know Clarke is not the easiest person to get along with lately but she's not that bad. I should know."

\- "I don't trust her." –Emori simply answered- "And you have to tell catch us up."

\- "I'll buy it just because of what Mr. cook got for me." –I laughed, sitting down on one of the chairs near the kitchen's island in front of them- "Ask away."

\- "I've heard things." –Emori let go of Murphy and they both rested their elbows on the counter, looking at me; it was like an interrogation, but a fun one- "About someone cutting heads off."

\- "It was only one." –I rolled my eyes- "You knew Ulger?"

\- "The Azgeda War Chief?" –Emori questioned and I nodded- "No, you didn't."

\- "Yes, I did."

\- "You executed that guy?" –Murphy looked entertained- "Sam, Azgeda is the last clan you wanna be messing with."

\- "Roan was fine with it if that's what you're worried about. He wanted the throne and needed me to get it, so I got rid of him because I need Roan to remain King."

\- "Needed you?"

\- "Well, prepare to hear this." –I chuckled- "He wanted me to be Queen of Azgeda."

\- "What!"

\- "No way!" –Emori stood still, eyes wide open- "Why didn't you say yes?"

\- "Well, to begin with, he was going to execute me as soon as he got me to agree so, I'd say 'no' was the right answer." –I explained and Emori let out a 'huh' in understanding- "Besides, marrying?" –I looked at Murphy- "You clearly have missed some part of my story if Emori believes I'd get married."

\- "Maybe to Bellamy." –she whispered but loud enough for me to catch it- "What happened with you both."

\- "We're working through things." –I answered completely honest- "We won't have time to get where he wants to be but I'd hate to ruin it for him."

\- "What do you mean?"

\- "I think they'll end up using Clarke's list." –I sighed- "I'll kill two people for you both to get in but I can't."

\- "Hey." –Murphy walked up to me- "We're getting through this, the three of us. I'm not leaving my girl behind." –he hugged me and kissed the top of my head.

\- "Don't say that too loudly, I don't wanna fuck up your relationship with Emori." –I laughed, holding him close- "I'll protect you both at any cost. I promise."

\- "IT's fine." –Emori laughed walking to us too- "I know exactly how Murphy feels about you." –she joined the hug- "I owe you; if it weren't for you, I'd have never met Murphy and I wouldn't be here."

\- "I don't wanna cry so I'm going to leave and take a shower." –I jumped from the chair as we let go- "So, do I get a room too?" –I moved my eyes from Emori to Murphy.

\- "I'll show you." –Emori moved to the hallway- "Come with me."

\- "Alright." –I picked up my bag and smiled at Murphy as I followed Emori- "You save some of that good stuff for me, huh?"

\- "I got you."

I don't think I've ever seen a room so big in my life, I thought the room I had with Bellamy in Arkadia was big, or the one I shared with O; well, those had nothing on this one. Emori showed me how the shower worked and offered to come to wake me up in a couple hours and, honestly, I couldn't say no; the bed looked like it could be a cloud and I could not wait to get on some clean clothes and a warm shower to properly clean my wounds. I hadn't told anyone, but the arrow had hit me in the abdomen over the bruise; it had been superficial too so I kept it to myself but, still, I needed to clean it and bandage it properly. I left my bag on the bed and strode towards the shower, leaving the dirty clothes on the floor and checking my body on the mirror, sometimes I forgot how many scars I actually had; most were not terribly visible faded into thin white lines but the scar from the drilling on my thigh and the bullets on my arms were there, in your face, round dips on my skin. I ran my fingers over the one below my right shoulder, the one Murphy had given me at the dropship...  _How things have changed._  I couldn't help but smile before I moved my eyes to the one below my left shoulder; it felt different, it was an exit wound and it scarred differently; like my skin had been torn to pieces and then sewed back together in the wrong order. I didn't care much how it looked, I just hated the reminder of failure. I blinked back the tears as I moved my hands down my stomach, over the scar Indra had given me back at TonDC. I remembered Bellamy running his fingers over it the first time we made love; I remembered feeling the rage in Indra's movements as she cut my skin, which got me thinking if everyone I killed felt what I was feeling as I ended their lives. I realized I didn't care.

The room was warm now, as I had left the shower open to get the warm water running. I looked at myself one last time in the mirror before I got in the shower, sighing in pleasure as the hot water run down my body.  _So, what now? Nightblood seems to be the only way but we can't create it down here._  I took a deep breath. I thought of Lila, hoping she was alright; I had left her with people I trusted. I had to go back to Polis once we found a solution, I had to make sure she survived too, even if I didn't; I knew Octavia would take care of her. But how.  _We'll find a way, we always do._  I tried to stay in the moment, enjoy the time alone as I took care of my body instead of letting my mind wander to places I wasn't ready to visit. Brown and red water running down the drain as I washed my hair, my face, my body, as I cleaned the wounds... I stood under the water for a couple minutes once I finished, trying to engrave this feeling in my brain because I was sure I wasn't going to feel like that in a long time.

I finally got out, patting my body dry and attending the wounds promptly before I got out of the bathroom and stood in front of the bed to put on my clothes. I opened my bag, dropping the content in the bed realizing there was something there I hadn't packed: Bellamy's t-shirt. I smiled picking it up.  _He must have put it in, knowing me and knowing I'd chose to come._  I adored him, the little things he did for me. I knew he loved me and I knew he was trying to restore what he broke, I didn't want to burst his bubble for, now that going to space was a no-go, I was more convinced than before that we'd have to use Clarke's list. And I knew what that meant; I didn't regret it, I just wished we had more time. I put on my underwear and his shirt, leaving my pants, boots, shirt, and jacket on a sofa in front of the bed before I jumped in it. I had been right, it felt exactly how I thought a cloud would be: a warm, comfy and cozy hug of soft bliss. I knew Emori would come for me when they needed me so I didn't fight back the sleep forcing my eyes shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Constructive criticism is very much appreciated, thank you🍸


	14. Enjoy the ride.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An intruder breaks into the mansion, disrupting the quality of Sam’s sleep and helping undercover Abbie’s final plan to salvation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A much shorter than usual one, the second part to the last one I posted while trying to depicter what’s up with Tumblr’s issues. I think I managed to do it, so we'll be back to my usual long-ass chapters from now on -hopefully.

**SAM'S POV**

The noise of glass breaking woke me up; my body jerking up to a sitting position immediately as I remained quiet, trying to figure out what exactly had disturbed my sleep. At first, I thought Murphy or Emori had broken something while he kept cooking or more so they messed in the kitchen but the silent footsteps didn't go unnoticed and I soon realized there was something else going on. I jumped from the bed, putting on my boots and taking the two blades I had left on the nightstand, slowly and quietly approaching my door, opening it and only seeing the light coming from the kitchen.  _Maybe I was wrong._  I was about to call for them when I heard a loud thud followed my Emori grunting in pain and screaming for help.  _Fuck._  I ran to the kitchen, finding a guy with a knife towering over her and anger coursed through my veins.

\- "Hey, asshole!" –I yelled, throwing him a knife, hitting him on his left shoulder- "Pick on someone your own size."

He turned to look at me, eyeing me up and down before he moved my way with the knife, leaving Emori alone which was exactly what I wanted; he tried to cut my stomach but I jumped back, avoiding it just before I cut him in the face with my own blade. He threw himself at me, pushing me against the cabinets just as someone hit him in the head with a cutting board.

\- "Now, that's what I call teamwork." –I smiled, seeing Murphy holding the board as the guy fell to the floor.

\- "My pleasure."

\- "Emori." –I moved up to her; she was raising up from the floor with Clarke's help, whom, I assume, got here just as Murphy did- "You okay?"

\- "Wait!" –Emori yelled as she held on to me; I turned to see what she meant, seeing Murphy getting ready to strike the guy again- "He's mine."

She tried to jump onto him, but she was not holding her balance too well, Murphy letting go of the board and catching her while she insulted the man over and over. I glanced at Clarke who was looking just as worried about Emori as I was; I opened my mouth to ask her what she knew about this but Emori's voice cut me off.

\- "If we don't kill him now, he will kill us!"

\- "Wait..." –Clarke approached her, forcing her to face her- "You know him?"

\- "Bailys."

_Like the alcoholic drink? People down here really need to update their name's lists._

\- "She's lying." –the man on the floor rose on his shoulders- "You don't know me."

\- "You said you'd kill me!" –Emori was out of control, Murphy struggling to hold her back- "Well, guess what, Planhaka, I'm gonna kill you." –he tried to crawl back toward the door.

\- "Hey, hey!" –Clarke had a gun pointed at him now- "Don't move."

\- "Just let me go. I'll leave the food and you never have to see me again."

Something didn't add up, I just couldn't place my finger on what it was.  _If he came here to kill Emori, why would he do that seeing all the lights on, I'm sure he was prying on us and therefore knew she wasn't alone. He can't be that stupid, even if he only came here for the food._  I eyed him, lying on the floor again after Emori kicked him as he didn't give her the answers she wanted.  _Can he?_

\- "Emori, if he's not alone we need to know now." –Clarke's tone was both severe and concerned as I went back to listening to what they were saying- "Hey, Murphy, take my gun and tie him up. There's a medicine cabinet upstairs, can I fix this?" –she meant the cut Emori had on her forehead that has bleeding rather profusely but Emori still looked unsure- "They won't let him go anywhere, don't worry." –she looked at me- "Right?"

\- "Not a chance!" –Murphy answered before I could even open my mouth, again- "We're gonna have some fun."

\- "Emori, go with Clarke. Trust us, he isn't going anywhere on my watch." –I squeezed her shoulder- "Get that fixed."

\- "Fine." –she conceded before turning to Clarke- "But, when he's done talking, the kill is mine."

Emori walked pass Clarke towards the hallway to go upstairs where Clarke's room was; she looked at me, worry written all over her face but I didn't have any answers, so I simply nodded at her and prompted her to go with Emori. Murphy was now tying the unconscious man's hands together so I took a chair and placed it in the middle of the living room and suddenly, I saw a parallel I hated: I was that guy lying on the floor, being taken by Pike's sheep to interrogation. I shook my head.  _I'm not Pike. We're not Pike._

\- "Sam?"

\- "Huh?"

\- "You okay?" –Murphy stood in front of me.

\- "Yeah. This just reminded me of something Pike did to me."

\- "What did that piece of shit do to you?"

\- "What we're about to do to him; at least the 'tying him up to a chair to get answers' part."

\- "Wanna tell me about it?"

\- "He had nothing on me and he knew it. Threatened to put a bullet to Bellamy's brain but I saw through his smoke trick; he'd have never hurt him, Bellamy was his right hand all the way up till the end." –I felt a shiver running down my legs, realizing only now I wasn't wearing pants- "I'm going to put on some pants, can I leave you alone with him for a couple minutes?"

\- "You can trust me."

I nodded, patting his back and leaving him to take care of the man while I changed to my actual clothes.  _If that asshole hurt Emori, I won't stop her from doing whatever she pleases. She's right, it's her kill. I just can't help but think there's something else going on here. But what?_  I took off Bellamy's shirt and put my own on as well as my pants and vest. Yeah, the vest was still intact even if that looked impossible, but I was not about to let go of the only thing I had left from Sheda. Well, I still had his hair but this was different; just like Lincoln's bow. I run my hand over it, smiling to myself as a couple happy memories with him came to mind.  _I'll forever miss you, brother_. I took my jacket and moved out of my room as soon as I heard the murmur of voices in the distance, getting to the living room as Emori hit the man's jaw with her fist.

\- "Hell, call me before you start the fun, guys!"

\- "Sam?" –Clarke questioned but it was clear her tone was more reproaching than questioning, which I didn't mind.

\- "What? In case you have not realized by now, aggression is my thing." –I faced Emori- "You need help? I got a whole set of blades for you."

\- "Thank you, Sam." –she nodded, side smile on her face- "But I'll use my hand."

\- "Fair enough." –I sat on the closed piano- "I'll be right here."

\- "We can't let her do that." –Clarke whispered as she moved next to me.

\- "What exactly?"

\- "Kill for revenge. That's not how we do things."

\- "Are you sure about that, princess?" –I smiled at her- "You are forgetting who I am."

\- "That's not who you are."

\- "It is." –I focused my attention back on Emori- "Someone has to."

I rested my weight on my arms, lying back slightly to enjoy the show; maybe this wasn't the moralistic ideal of dealing with our problems but it sure as hell was entertaining. Emori raised her hand once again, the man already bleeding from his mouth and a bruised and swollen eye. Murphy strolled from side to side of the living room, his eyes on Emori as if she were prey, more so as if she were his trainee and he was watching her fulfill her potential. Memories of better times in my head that I had to shake away before I lost focus, in case Emori needed my help, although I was almost certain she didn't. The blood splashing on the wall behind the man over and over.

\- "Wait!" –Clarke yelled as Emori raised her fist to hit him again.

\- "What!"

\- "You'll kill him."

\- "That's the idea."

\- "Clarke..." –groaned, still annoyed she couldn't just let go, she didn't even have to be here to watch- "Just sit back and enjoy the ride."

\- "Yeah, why don't you stay out of it and let her have this?" –Murphy backed me up as he rested on the piano next to me.

\- "What id his life could save us all?" –Clarke stood face to face with Emori.

\- "What?" –I jumped from the piano a soon as I heard a way out of Praimfaya- "Develop."

\- "I..." –she had difficulty keeping her eyes on mine- "We cannot longer go to space to make Nightblood but what if we had someone down here who can?" –she finally looked at me.

\- "Luna. Is she on board with it?"

\- "My mom extracted some of her marrow before..."

\- "So... no." –I answered myself for her- "How do we know it works?"

\- "We test it on him."

\- "I'm on board, of course, I'm surprised you and your mom are though."

\- "We don't have any other options."

\- "Then why didn't you say it earlier?" –I scoffed- "I'll get Roan, he'll be able to carry him to the lab." –I told Clarke who nodded before I glanced at Emori- "The radio?"

\- "On the counter."

\- "Alright; knock him out completely." –she smiled- "Or have some more fun while Roan gets here, whatever you desire."

 _Now, who'd have guessed we'd all become Nightbloods, huh?_  I got out of the mansion towards the border of the forest, waiting for Roan to arrive to help us get the man to the lab.  _Hold up, would the Grounders really agree with this? Well, we don't have the time to ask them so either they are on board or they burn to death, I don't care as long as my people survive. How convenient it was for that man to show up. Almost too convenient._ If Emori had played me, I didn't mind; I felt sad Murphy didn't trust me enough to let me in on their plan though. Couldn't blame him either, Emori was the most important person in his life now, I understood he wouldn't want to risk it. I smiled to myself.  _I'm glad he found someone. He deserves to be happy._ The time passed quickly as I tried to stay in the moment, waiting for Roan to finally show up and, once he did, I hurried him inside.

\- "Your people are okay with sacrificing a man?"

\- "Are you?" –he nodded- "I am too so that's already more brute force than the rest have altogether." –he chuckled- "You get him to the lab, Abbie will do the rest and hopefully, we'll survive the radiation."

And that's what we did, all marching towards the lab once again, hoping this was our ticket to salvation. Clarke walked with Roan so I stood back and waiter for Emori and Murphy to catch up with me.

\- "So, is his name really Bailys?" –I eyed Emori before I looked at Murphy- "And he really came to hurt her?"

\- "What's with the questioning, Sam?" –Murphy's tone seemed hurt, but I knew better; I knew him.

\- "Just thinking it was a nice coincidence he showed up when he did."

\- "It was, yes." –he kept up with his side of things- "We're lucky he's going to save us all. Hopefully."

\- "Murphy, drop it, I know."

\- "What do you know?"

He came to a stopped, looking at me with confused eyes.  _Was I wrong? Maybe that man is really who Emori says he is, maybe it really was a lucky accident._

\- "So he really is the man who tortured you?" -I turned to Emori- "Maybe I really am losing my edge."

\- "He's someone that's going into that oven and that isn't me."

\- "What are you saying?" -Murphy stood in front of her- "That isn't him?" -Emori shook her head so lightly, I could have missed it- "Now that's a survivor's move."

He lowered his head and Emori closed her eyes.

\- "Ew!" -I closed my eyes, moving my hands in the air as I walked, faking using them to control where I was going- "Ugh, gross, ew, hell no. I'm leaving."

\- "Hey!" -Murphy caught my arm and pulled me towards them.

\- "You've cut someone's head off and this is what grossed you out?"

\- "Yeah?" -I replied with a smile on my face- "So I was right. That's not the asshole that hurt you."

\- "Sam..."

\- "I didn't say I was mad." -I cut them off before they could start apologizing- "I just thought Murphy was in on it."

\- "I was not, but I'm gladly surprised."

\- "How'd you know?"

\- "Well, it was all too much of a coincidence as I've said." –I smiled at her and we started walking again- "Also, the fact that he truly seemed to believe what he was saying, coming just for the food and not knowing you, I mean."

\- "I wanted to tell you but..."

\- "It's okay, I get it. You're the most important person for each other, I'm not worth the risk." –I squeezed both their shoulders- "But how did you know he'd be useful? Did you know about the marrow thing?"

\- "I heard Abbie and Clarke talking when I went into the lab earlier; Abbie said it was the only way but someone had to be sacrificed, and that got me thinking... if they had to kill someone, it'd be me; the outsider."

\- "Oh, yeah, over my own cold dead corpse." –I moved my hand over her shoulder- "You're under my protection now, Emori; it's official, anyone tries anything against you? They face me."

\- "My girls bonding, I'm terribly glad not to be a part of this." –the mocking undertone in Murphy's voice was almost comical at the end.

\- "I can always kick you out of the list of people in my family so that you can face everyone else out there on your own." –I chuckled and so did Emori.

\- "Thank you, Sam."

\- "I got you, M. We're family. You both are."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Constructive criticism is very much appreciated, thank you🍸


	15. Not on my watch.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Bellamy keeps an eye on Jasper back in Arkadia to make sure nothing happens to him, Sam realizes things will just go downhill from now on. Unless she finds a way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We back with the long chapters, can I get a round of applause? *crickets chirping* Thanks, fam.

**BELLAMY'S POV**

I had gone back to Arkadia to be with Octavia, to try to fix things with her, only to find she had left just before I got back.  _I should have gone with Sam. Maybe I'd be of more use with her... and if we die, at least we'd be together._  It had been a hard couple of days since I came back, losing 18 people to the black rain, not being able to talk with Sam and not knowing if Octavia had survived the black rain out there. We were outside, getting ready to burn the dead when I caught Jasper walking happily around camp, towards the door.

\- "Show some respect for the dead."

\- "Why?" –he ignored my reproach- "They don't mind, they're dead."

\- "Where are you going?"

\- "Wherever the day takes me."

\- "You got a chem tent?"

\- "Nope."

\- "Jasper." –I called for him but he ignored me and kept walking- "Jasper!" –I yelled this time, running after him- "No one leaves without a chem tent."

\- "Do you have a chem tent?" –he looked at me over the shoulder, a smile on his face as he did.

\- "Yeah."

\- "Good." –he nodded- "Then we have a chem tent."

\- "Hey." –I pulled him back and stopped him- "Maybe you didn't see how those people died."

\- "I saw, I'm just not afraid of it happening to me." –he got rid of my grip and kept walking away.

\- "Jasper, it's not safe out there."

\- "What else is new?" –he pushed the door, opening it and turning to motion me to move- "Come on, we're losing daylight."

\- "Jasper..." -he ignored me and kept walking- "Damnit." -I cursed under my breath before I ran after him- "Grow the hell up!"

\- "Good, you're coming."

\- "Yeah, but only because I don't want to carry your body bag or see Sam mourning you too."

\- "Oh, come on! I'm pretty light! I mean, I'm wiry, but I'm light." -he laughed- "Sam will be alright."

\- "You don't know what you're saying."

**\---------------**

**SAM'S POV**

I sat on one of the tables while Abbie and Jackson got the man ready for the experiment, Murphy and Emori had stayed on the top floor and Clarke was talking with her mom about what they were about to do, Roan moved back after he left the man on the 'oven' and suddenly, I heard new footsteps coming in. Luna and Raven.

\- "Raven!" –I jumped immediately from the table, moving towards her.

\- "Sam! You're here."

\- "It's been a while since you and I have been together so I thought it appropriate, yeah." –she hugged me tightly like no one had hugged me in a while.

\- "I'm glad you did." –she pulled back- "I missed you. What have you been up to."

\- "Not much, keeping everyone in line and trying not to bleed out in the process... the usual."

\- "That's not what Kane told Abbie on the radio when he informed us you were coming." –she gave me a knowing look; it wasn't as if I was trying to hide anything from her, I just didn't think she needed to know- "You okay?"

\- "I survived." –I tried to sound reassuring- "Ulger had it coming."

\- "You killed him?" –Luna's voice startled me a little as she stood behind Raven, almost protectively and I wondered what had been going on- "How are you still alive."

\- "As I keep repeating, not for lack of trying." –I answered her- "I'm glad to see you're alive."

\- "So you can use me?"

\- "I had no idea about that plan."

\- "I trust you." –she looked the same she did back at the rig but something was different, probably the weight of the deaths of her whole clan that she was carrying on her shoulders, even if it wasn't her fault; no one could have guessed radiation would get to them so fast- "You haven't changed much."

\- "I was hoping I had."

\- "You still shed the blood of others."

\- "So that they won't shed mine."

We could have gone back and forth for hours for sure; however, Clarke coming to us to announce that they were ready to start, put an end to our conversation. We all surrounded the radiation chamber.

\- "Vital signs are strong." –Abbie spoke, looking at the monitor in front of her- "Jackson, seal the chamber."

\- "Copy that." –he finished tightening the belts to keep the man steady and did as she asked- "He's ready."

\- "Yeah." –Raven sighed- "But are we?"

\- "The guy's a monster." –Emori reminded them, for Murphy and I now knew the truth.

\- "We've been over this." –Clarke spoke next- "None of us wants to do this."

\- "But it's what we have to do." –I backed her up- "His life for ours is worth the risk... unless anyone has a better idea."

\- "The death wave will be here in 10 days. Luna's stem cells grafted successfully and Bailys is making Nightblood on his own." –Clarke was giving a speech, but it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself than us- "This really is our only hope."

\- "We really still talking about this?" –Murphy's sarcasm followed Clarke's need for approbation- "Black rain is already here. 18 people died in it yesterday at Arkadia so, if Nightblood can let us walk around in it, I, for one, wanna know about that."

Everyone looked at each other, it was clear most of them had doubts and were battling internally whether this was a moral choice or not; the truth is, it wasn't, unless you considered the greater good the peak of your morals, that is. I didn't care who we had to kill if that meant we got a way to survive radiation; it wasn't even me I was looking out for, I wanted Octavia to survive, I wanted Bellamy to survive, Lila, Murphy, Raven, Emori, Jasper... they all deserved this life, and I was okay with selling my soul to the devil if that meant they'd see the world 10 days past now.

\- "Alright." –Abbie finally agreed- "Jackson, proceed."

\- "Copy that." –it was funny to me how everyone was doubting this but not the person who was actually pressing the buttons: Jackson- "Initiating." –I respected him.

A couple clicks were heard as Jackson manipulated the machine and, soon enough, a light illuminated the man's body; the radiating process was starting.

\- "500 Rem... 850" –Jackson spoke, the only thing cutting the tension in the room: his steady voice- "This is where we'd usually see signs on a non-Nightblood."

\- "BP is 100 over 50, body temp is 98.7" –Abbie read the data on the monitor as Clarke got closer to the chamber- "Resting comfortably."

\- "No visible effects." –Clarke exclaimed.

\- "1000 Rem."

I felt my heart starting to race.  _Maybe this will work._ I couldn't keep my eyes away from the man's face as we finally reached the level of radiation of the black rain.

\- "Still nothing." –the optimism in Clarke's voice was contagious- "It's working."

We reached 2000 Rem and everything seemed to be working just fine, until it didn't. The monitor started beeping uncontrollably, his skin started to bruise red as Clarke asked Jackson to turn it off and so he did, but the beeping didn't stop and, suddenly, the man woke up. He started screaming and hitting the glass, looking around at us, screaming.

\- "Get him out of there!" –Abbie moved from the monitor towards the chamber, intending to open it.

\- "Wait, no!" –Jackson pulled her back- "It's not safe yet."

And there we stood, looking as the man's skin got redder, covered in blisters; his screams could have frozen anyone's blood, until they stopped, the only thing coming out of his mouth now? Black blood. He was choking on it. And then, silence. Flatline in the monitor as he died.

\- "What have we done?"

Abbie whispered as I moved back, running my hands over one of the tables and throwing everything to the ground.  _There has to be a way._ I really wanted to tear my hair from my head as I couldn't think of anything that could be of help. They removed the body and Clarke and Luna started to clean up the chamber, Raven kept checking the big screen where she had all the data regarding Praimfaya while Jackson kept going over the data of the experiment.

\- "Abbie." –he suddenly called- "Look at this."

\- "Of course." –Abbie looked relieved.

_Maybe there's our clue._

\- "What is it?" –Clarke asked as we all paid attention to their conversation.

\- "Sodium Polyethanol Sulfonate." –Jackson answered quickly, almost excitedly as if we all were supposed to understand what that meant.

\- "Please, elaborate." –I felt entitled to join in.

\- "It's an additive used to prevent clotting." –he explained looking at me and I nodded- "Look like the radiation broke it down and cause a chain reaction."

\- "What happens if we remove it?" –Clarke questioned quickly.

\- "We could save everyone."

\- "You could?" –Murphy spoke from behind us- "So you're saying this can still work."

\- "Not without testing."

\- "The last guy just died screaming in agony." –Raven reminded Abbie with a reproaching and almost disgusted tone- "You wanna try it again?"

\- "Give us a better idea, Raven." –Clarke turned to her- "Please."

\- "So what?" –Murphy spoke again, Emori hidden behind him- "We just go out there and hunt for someone else?"

\- "Suits me just fine."

\- "No one is going anywhere in this storm." –Miller commented as I ended my statement moving to the stairs, him grabbing me back.

\- "So we wait for it to pass."

\- "When it does, there may not be anyone left to hunt for."

\- "Hunting for someone else to kill." –Luna scoffed- "What's the matter with you people?"

\- "I'll tell you what the matter is." –I couldn't help myself- "The matter is we are all dying if we don't find a solution and if killing someone gets my family to survive you can sure as hell bet I'll do it."

\- "I see that."

\- "Even Bailys honored the dead." –she held up a bracelet for us to see- "He wore the stones of his rock line ancestors, who will honor him?"

\- "Wait, Bailys was Sangedakru." –Clarke looked around confused.

\- "He was." –Emori spoke- "He was also a thief, he probably stole those stones."

\- "A thief who didn't bear the mark of Sangedakru."

 _Well, we are fucked._ As the beans were spilled I realized I couldn't take them all down, especially if Roan and Luna got together; I was good but those two were too. I had to find another way. Emori tried to escape and Murphy to fight back, but Roan caught her and Miller pointed a gun to Murphy's head.  _Come on, Sam, think._ I took a deep breath, sitting down again on one of the tables, watching as they tied Murphy and Emori down; Murphy yelling at me, questioning my words and my friendship. It hurt, a lot, but it hurt more knowing testing on someone again was the only way.

\- "Please, tell me you are not seriously putting Emori in that chamber." –Raven approached Abbie, Jackson and Clarke who were going over everything on the monitor- "There has to be a way that doesn't make us murderers."

\- "Jackson and I have examined every possibility and, the truth is, the only thing we know for sure is that if we do nothing, we all die." –I looked from afar as they all nodded- "Jackson, prep Luna for another extraction."

\- "No, you've taken enough from me." –Luna crossed her arms over her chest.

\- "We'll sedate you, you won't feel..."

\- "I said no." –Luna cut Abbie off- "I won't allow my blood to kill any more innocent people."

\- "Luna, please." –Clarke tried to intercede- "Your blood is the only thing that can save us."

\- "My blood is a curse." –Luna stated- "It will, however, keep you from following me into the rain."

Luna saw her blood in a way no one else did; not even Lexa had seen her own blood as a curse. I zoned out; I was tired of keeping up with their plans, tired of not being clever enough to find a solution to this mess, tired of being useless. I couldn't believe we could all actually die after everything we had gone through. What a sick joke this trip down to Earth had been then. The noise of metal hitting the floor regained my attention: Roan was lying on the floor with Luna trapped in his arms as he put her to sleep with a choke hold.

\- "So..." –Raven turned to Clarke, the disgust in her face felt weird when I was used to seeing everything but that- "You're gonna strap her down and take her bone marrow?" –Raven glanced at me and I realized what she meant, clenching my jaw and running my hand over my thigh- "Welcome to Mount Weather."

**\-----------------------**

**BELLAMY'S POV**

Jasper and I had been walking around the forest for hours now. I still had no idea why we were out here and wasn't sure I wanted to figure it out any time soon.

\- "I know everything it's bad and everything is dying and all..." -Jasper's now usual cheery voice broke the silence- "...but I'm just gonna say it -I don't miss mosquitoes. Don't miss them."

\- "This is all a big joke to you, isn't it?"

\- "Now you're getting it!" -he looked back at me for a second, smiling- "That' exactly what it is, one big cosmic joke. You'd realize that too if you pulled the stick out your ass..."

\- "That's enough!" -I yelled, pulling him back- "That is enough, Jasper."

\- "I'm just trying to help you, man."

\- "Oh, you're trying to help me?" -I scoffed- "That's funny." -I shook my head- "It's late, we're leaving. Now."

\- "Damn it, open your eyes!" -he screamed at me, forcing me to turn around as I had started moving back- "The clock is ticking and it has been since we landed on this terrible, beautiful planet."

\- "What the hell does that mean?"

\- "It means we're leaving on borrowed time. All of us."

\- "So, if you know that, why are you throwing it away?"

\- "I'm not." -he smiled- "You are." -he hit my chest with his finger- "What is the point in beating yourself up over all of the crappy things you've done? You did them." -his voice broke a little- "And don't say you had your reasons because, at the end of the day, at the end of the world, nobody gives a damn about your reasons because they are your reasons. No matter how much you punish yourself, it's not gonna change anything." -I clenched my jaw as he spoke, I could feel my eyes getting teary as he spoke- "It's not gonna bring anyone back." -I looked at him and he immediately looked up at the sky- "The way I see it is, we can spend our last days wallowing in our reasons or we can do..." -he looked at me and chuckled- "... we can do whatever the hell we want!" -he glued his eyes to me- "And really mean it this time."

\- "Jasper..."

\- "If you really love Sam, you should be spending your last days with her, not here following me around because you think I'm crazy."

\- "Sam would never forgive me if anything happened to you while I was around." -I approached him- "She cares so much about you, Jasper, and maybe you don't see it but..."

\- "I know she does." -he squeezed my shoulder- "And I love her too... I hope she knows it."

\- "Then why are you acting like this?" -I followed him- "She's left to find a way to save us all."

\- "You may not understand, but Sam does." -he walked past me- "Sam's always understood me and been there for me when no one else was. I wish she would just stop trying to save everyone else and just... live -for herself. She deserves to live a little now after everything that's happened to her, after everything she's lost and hasn't even mourn." -he stopped walking and pointed his lantern to a rock- "Bingo! Magic beans." -he turned to look at me- "Remember those?"

\- "Hallucinogenic nuts." -I answered and he raised his eyebrows in a pleased way- "That's why you dragged me out here?" -I scoffed- "If you think I'm taking those again, you really are crazy."

\- "Whatever the hell you want."

He took out a blade and started cutting them off, the deep conversation we were having gone as fast as it started, leaving me with a lot to think about while he collected them and on our way back to Arkadia.  _Had he talked about this with Sam already? I_  had noticed Jasper was more cheery than usual when Sam was in Arkadia but I never thought it was because they had deep conversations about life, but more so because Jasper loved Sam and she always found time to be with him and even take part on his pranks and mischief. Sometimes they even reminded me of Octavia and me. _Octavia, I hope she's okay..._

Once we made it back to Arkadia, there seemed to be a party already going on.  _The end of the world and the best thing they can do is throw a party. Where are the rational adults when you need them?_ I looked around me, a scoff easily finding its way to my face.

\- "Come on." -Jasper tempted me and I sighed- "Everyone's gonna die, Bellamy. We can go out like them..." -he pointed to a group of crying, desperate teens- "...or like us." -he pointed to the party behind him- "The ending's the same but who says the journey has to suck?"

He moved back to the party, throwing the bag with the nuts to Niylah who was at the bar making drinks and being greeted by everyone there. I glanced around. I wished Sam was there. I turned around, ready to leave when someone called my name.

\- "Hey!" -Bree called my name- "Dance with me."

\- "I don't dance." -I tried to let her down politely.

\- "I don't really wanna dance." -he wrapped her hands on my jacket pulling me down closer to her.

\- "Look, Bree." -I moved her hands away- "I'm not interested."

\- "I heard you and Sam split up." -she rose a flirty eyebrow at me- "I know what you like and, besides, she doesn't need to know if you don't want to..."

\- "Bree, I'm serious." -she took a step back, looking at me confused- "We had sex once when we landed and that was it, I'm with Sam now and I don't want anyone else."

\- "But we had fun."

\- "We did." -I stayed as calm as I could- "I've moved on, I'm with Sam and that's how I intend to be for the rest of our days."

\- "You love her?"

\- "More than I love myself." -then I realized that was probably not the best comparison right now, considering how I felt about the things I had done- "I'm in love with her."

\- "She's a lucky girl, then. I hope she knows."

She shrugged her shoulders and moved away back to the party, quickly finding another guy.

\- "You okay?" -Harper was now beside me.

\- "Yeah."

\- "I heard it." -she confessed- "I'm sorry Sam's not here but I'm glad you're working things out. The only couple better than you both is Monty and me."

I chuckled as she started laughing, having to hold onto me not to lose her balance for she was tipsy, to say the least.

\- "Come with me, just one drink and you can go back to trying to fix everything."

**\-----------------**

**SAM'S POV**

Once the new dose was ready, Roan, Miller, and Clarke moved to the rocket room where they had tied Emori and Murphy so that they couldn't escape nor fight back.  _This is wrong... so wrong. There has to be something I can do._  I could hear Murphy screaming for them to let Emori go, confessing his love for her and threatening to kill us all if Emori died. I watched Miller carry Emori to the table, strapping her down; they even left the doors to the rocket open so that Murphy could see –I thought that was cruel. Clarke took the syringe from Abbie, whose hands were shaking, and moved to Emori to inject her herself.

\- "I'll do it." –I moved towards her- "I told Emori she's family, I'm not allowing you to do this."

\- "You sure?"

\- "About sentencing someone to death?" –I mocked her- "My specialty."

She handed me the syringe; I could feel all eyes on me but I was way past caring. I approached Emori, she was still asleep on the table, her arm already prep for the injection. I caressed her cheek. I couldn't do that to her. I turned my head around, finding Murphy's eyes on me; his expression hurt me deeply but I knew what I had to do, I knew it deep down since the possibility of my friend losing the best thing that ever happened to him came around. I smiled at him, a reassuring nod as his eyebrows furrowed. I didn't need him to understand now. I took a deep breath and injected myself.

\- "Sam! No!" –Murphy shouted but it was too late.

\- "What have you done!" –Clarke reproached me as I dropped the syringe.

\- "I'm protecting my family." –I walked past her looking at Jackson and Abbie- "We're testing me. No one is hurting Emori or Murphy on my watch."

**\-------------------**

**RAVEN'S POV**

It had seen strange, the lack of reaction from Sam when it was decided Emori was to be the next to be tested on. I should have seen it coming. She might have said she'd changed, but she was still the same selfless girl I met all those months ago, the girl who'd rather give her life than watch her friends –her family die.

\- "Please!" –I begged, approaching her- "Don't do this."

\- "There's no other way." –she squeezed my shoulders- "Besides, it's going to work and I'm going to be just fine, right?" –Jackson nodded but Abbie didn't seem too convinced.

\- "What is it, Abbie?" –I questioned.

\- "Nothing."

\- "Let's get the party going then, shall we?"

Sam gave me a reassuring nod, but I still didn't want her to go; I couldn't lose her.

\- "Sam, please, think this through." –I forced her back- "I can't just sit here and watch you get murdered."

\- "I'm choosing to enter the chamber. I'll die if it means those two can find a solution to this with my death." –she pointed with her head at Abbie and Jackson- "You're not getting tested and neither is Emori, alright?" –she kissed my forehead.

\- "I can't let you do this, Samantha." –Roan was now next to us, out of nowhere.

\- "Do you see me taking orders from anyone around here?" –Sam mocked him- "Hell no. So sit back and cross your fingers because if this doesn't work, I'll see you in hell in 10 days."

Sam hit him in the chest with her finger as she ended; it impressed me how little she cared how much bigger and strong Roan looked, although, for what I had heard, Ulger was more or less of the same constitution so you never know. I tried to fight to get her out of there, but Luna pulled me back, reminding me not to force myself or my brain as we didn't need another seizure. But I was sure I'd get one just from watching Sam die.

\- "You're not doing this." –Roan pulled her back.

\- "You don't want to fight me, Roan." –she pushed him back- "Because we both know I'm capable of killing you, so back off."

Her threatening voice scared me, for the first time since we met, I realized Roan might have cared for Sam more than he cared to admit or show. Why else would he try to stop her from doing what they wanted to put Emori through?

\- "My life for yours and my debt is paid."

\- "Hell no." –Sam waved her hand on the air just as she was about to lay on the chamber- "I'm doing this so just thank me and move..."

 _A debt?_  Sam's voice suddenly died out; my head jerking up as it did, seeing Roan standing just behind her, a syringe breaking as it hit the floor, Roan catching Sam on his arms and moving away from the chamber.  _He put her to sleep._  I breathed relieved.

\- "Proceed with testing on the liar."

I looked around me, everyone seemed as confused as I felt after what Roan just did; it seemed so out of character for him but I knew there was a reason.  _Maybe he despises liars more than anything. But a debt? That has to be the reason. Could this have to do with that Ulger guy?_

\- "What do we do now?" –Miller questioned, breaking the silence.

\- "We resume the experiment." –Abbie went back to the monitor- "We're lucky we have another dose."

\- "What!" –I couldn't help myself- "You just saw Sam! Are you really willing to risk your life like that?"

\- "Raven, what do you mean?" –Clarke stood in front of me.

\- "You don't seriously think Sam won't hurt every single one of you if you touch Emori, right?" –I scoffed- "You heard her."

\- "We don't have another option. She'll thank me when..."

\- "Sam'd rather die herself than hurt an innocent, Clarke, and you know it."

I spat the truths at her, I didn't care how bad it made her feel. I didn't want Sam to die, but Emori didn't deserve this either. No one did.

\- "Sam's right." –Clarke took the second syringe with Luna's cells- "We can't force Emori to do this if we aren't willing to do the sacrifice ourselves."

\- "No!"- Abbie tried to take the instrument from her but failed.

\- "We're testing me now." –Clarke announced as Roan came back.

\- "Fine with me." –Roan rested back on one of the tables, having left Sam on the upper level.

We had to wait an hour or so to see if Clarke was creating Nightblood on her own and, while we waited, I went to see Sam whom Roan left on a couch upstairs. She was still passed out. I caressed her cheek.

\- "Always so willing to sacrifice yourself, Sam..." –I smiled- "I'm glad Roan stopped you."

\- "Hell, so am I!"

\- "Murphy!" –I exclaimed as he sneaked behind me.

\- "What?" –he shrugged his shoulders, sitting on the other side of Sam- "I came to thank her."

\- "How's Emori?"

\- "Still passed out too." –he sighed- "But she'll survive... thanks to Sam."

\- "Go with her, I'll call you once Sam's awake." -I offered- "Don't let Emori wake up alone."

\- "Thanks."

Murphy nodded and left us alone again.

\- "I don't know if you can hear me..." -I sat down next to her- "... but I wanted to say that I'm glad you're here. We've lost touch after everything that's been going on with A.L.I.E. and then Azgeda... I wanted to say that I miss you but I know you're doing your best to save us all. I'm trying too. I wish there was something I could do... before I... I think I'm going to die, Sam, and I'm not ready..."

I didn't know how to say all the things I felt, so I stood there in silence, combing her hair as I rested my back on the couch, closing my eyes and simply enjoying the peaceful moment with my best friend. When she woke up, she was a bit disoriented until she realized what had happened and tried to raise too quickly to go after Roan, but I pulled her down and asked her to take it easy; after all, we didn't know how Luna's cells had affected her body. I moved to take a glass of water for her and called Murphy as I did, who immediately moved upstairs with Emori. Once Sam was rehydrated, I left the couple with her to talk in peace, moving back to see what was going on out there. Jackson was taking a blood sample from Clarke and she seemed to be producing Nightblood on her own. It was time.

\- "Alright." -she stated- "Let's do this."

\- "You can't do that, Clarke!"

\- "It's the only way, right?" –Abbie didn't answer- "Mom, Sam trusted you and so do I." –she looked at Jackson- "Turn it on."

\- "Jackson, don't." –Abbie commanded- "Clarke, if you go in there, you will die. I saw it."

\- "What are you talking about?"

\- "I saw it. You and Samantha dead."

\- "What?" –Sam stood straight next to me.

\- "Like I saw the rocket." –I tried to explain to her.

\- "The chip?" –Sam questioned and I nodded.

\- "We're wasting time."

The next couple of seconds went by in a rush. Abbie pushed Clarke back, taking a metal bar and destroying the radiation chamber as everyone yelled at her to stop. Once she finished, no one dared go near her as she fell to the floor, her back to what was left of the machine.

\- "You saw us die?!" –Sam yelled approaching Abbie- "You knew it wasn't going to work and you still were going to put Emori in there! What is wrong with you!"

\- "Hey, Sam..." –Murphy quickly moved after her, pulling her back- "It's not worth it."

\- "She was going to murder her." –Sam had venom in her mouth.

\- "But you saved her." –he hugged her- "I'm sorry I doubted you."

\- "It's fine." –Sam was visibly calmer now- "But what are we going to do now?"

\- "Don't worry." –Luna smiled beside me- "It'll all be over soon now." –she moved to the stairs to leave the lab.

\- "You're not the only Nightblood now, Luna, so don't piss me off."

\- "Then you're now as cursed as I am. Enjoy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Constructive criticism is always welcome, thank you🍸


	16. Natblidas.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roan, Clarke and Sam arrived at Polis but getting in the bunker will prove harder than expected at first glance. Meanwhile, Bellamy tried to round everyone up in Arkadia to leave, eager to see his girls again -eager to live.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to a new chapter! I hope you guys will enjoy and thank you so much for sticking around.  
> Much love, Seira🌷

**SAM'S POV**

After all the mess with the radiation chamber, Kane had radioed saying him and Jaha had found a bunker in Polis that could hold up to 1200 people. That deserved to be celebrated and that's what I planned on doing once I got there and all my family was safe inside.  _If anyone had told me a couple days prior this would be the final outcome, I might have laughed on their faces but now, now I have hope again. A bit, at least._  Abbie, Clarke, Roan and I were riding on the back of a truck with Jackson and Miller at the front, having had left Raven, Emori, and Murphy behind to get the final things we might have needed together and that couldn't fit in the truck with all of us.

\- "We're here." –Roan spoke as soon as the truck stopped.

\- "Awesome, let's see our new cell for the next five years, shall we?" –I chuckled, pointing outside and he nodded, getting down first.

\- "Clarke, can I talk to you for a second?" –Abbie pulled Clarke to stay sat with her.

\- "Go, I'll catch up."

\- "No need to worry, princess." –I winked at her- "Sir King and I won't break anything, right?" –I eyed Roan and he nodded hesitantly- "Besides, we have to talk."

Roan almost rolled his eyes at me, picking up a heavy bag and started moving away. I took my stuff and another bag and followed him promptly.

\- "I think I owe you a 'thank you'." –I spoke as soon as I caught up with him.

\- "You're welcome."

\- "Would you have stopped me if you didn't owe me one?"

\- "We'll never know."

\- "Alright, then." –I scoffed at his cutting response; clearly, he didn't want to talk- "It'd have much rather me calling in the favor but okay."

\- "We're even now."

\- "That's probably for the best." –I agreed- "Now, care to explain what did you mean with 'domina of Azgeda'? Don't think I forgot."

\- "We may not need that now that we found the bunker."

\- "Tragic, it sounded like a nice title to add to my collection... unless it required marriage or something to tie me down like that, which I'd have promptly declined and..."

\- "Nothing to do with marriage, Samantha."

\- "Awesome. Then we can keep it in mind in case we run into another problem cause, knowing this planet, it wouldn't surprise me."

We walked after Jackson and Miller who had moved in front of us, also carrying boxes with them. We got to a small clearing, at the opposite side of which was Kane.

\- "Gentlemen..." –he waved his hand- "It's good to see you. Wait here." –he made them stop as Roan and I got to them.

\- "Where are the guards?" –Roan dropped the bag, his tone was suspicious if I ever heard it.

\- "Our people aren't back from Arkadia yet."

\- "What are you thinking?" –I looked at Roan.

Before he could answer me, Clarke came from behind us yelling at Kane to stop before Abbie pulled her back.

\- "What did you do?" –I asked Kane, dropping my bag too.

\- "Nothing, I..."

He didn't get to end whatever he was about to say as the bushes and lower branches of the trees behind him started moving, revealing a couple Trikru men.

\- "Trikru!" –Roan yelled, pulling his sword.

\- "What's the meaning of this?" –I took out my sword too- "We have a deal with Roan!"

\- "There doesn't have to be any violence!"

\- "You chose the wrong people to mess with, Kane."

\- "This is not about you, Samantha!"

\- "I don't know if you've noticed, but I tend to be in the middle of things, especially if you threaten the man who saved my life when your lover was willing to sacrifice me for a greater good that didn't exist."

Roan gave me something that looked like a thankful nod but, before we could as much as think about spilling anyone's blood ourselves, two arrows flew to both Trikru men, killing them on the spot. Azgeda was here too. Soon, Kane, Jackson, Miller, Abbie, and Clarke were on the floor being tied up.

\- "Welcome back to Polis, my King." –Echo approached us with a rope in her hands.

\- "No." –Roan placed a hand in front of me- "She's with us, Echo."

\- "Welcome back to Polis then, Jusheda."

\- "You have impeccable timing, my friend, I'll give you that." –she gave me a small smile- "Your shoulder?"

\- "Healing. I'll keep the scar."

\- "So, we're good." –I didn't question, I stated.

\- "We are."

We went the rest of the way in silence, the three of us walking first and then followed by the rest of the Azgeda warriors, each pushing one Skaikru in front of them. I went over all the possibilities about how we ended up like this, the only one making sense was that Kane, being Kane, had made a side deal with Trikru, leaving Azgeda out.  _Stupid move considering how Azgeda is. They must have known Echo was here and they had to be pretty dumb to think she wouldn't notice_. Apparently, they were.

\- "Oso ste klir." [We're safe] –Roan was the first to speak as we entered the throne room- "Gouva kiln." [Explain] –he commanded Echo.

\- "Lok emo honon daun, ten hef ona doude." –Echo nodded at Roan before commanding the two guards that followed us to lock the prisoners. [Cage the prisoners, ten men on the door.]

\- "Lid ai in Wanheda." [Bring me Wanheda] –Roan exclaimed as the men left, gaining a questioning look from Echo- "I said, explain."

\- "Skaikru allied with Trikru to take the temple." –she eyed me for a second- "They gave up the tower to do it; strategically that made no sense, so I put our people at the temple doors... good thing I did."

\- "You did well, Echo."

\- "I can't believe they thought that'd work out." –I couldn't help but scoff, pinching the bridge of my nose- "It's like they've learned nothing since we landed."

\- "Your people are careless." –Echo addressed me- "The only reason they are still alive is Lexa's coalition."

\- "I know. They also like to undermine the wrong people..." –I cocked my eyebrow at her- "I see that part hasn't changed either."

\- "Alright." –Roan cut us off- "Echo, move the rest of our army to the temple doors. No one gets in or out." –at that exact moment, the doors opened, revealing a tied up and gagged Clarke being pushed inside by two men; the disgust in Echo's face gave me all the information I needed- "Go, Echo."

She nodded, walking past Clarke with her head held high, taking with her both men and leaving us three alone. Roan removed the gag from Clarke's mouth.

\- "How long have you known?"

\- "I just found out." –the tone in Clarke's voice exasperated me, it was as if she thought everyone should know she could do no wrong.

\- "What do you say?" –Roan looked at me.

\- "I don't think she knew." –I answered him, still eyeing Clarke- "Abbie asked her to stay back so that she didn't get hurt."

Roan took out a blade, holding it threateningly towards Clarke; I eyed him, I didn't like this situation but I wasn't going to let him kill Clarke either. He cut her ropes.

\- "She did try to warn us, after all." –Roan raised an eyebrow at me.

\- "You, I tried to warn you." –Clarke quickly spoke- "Sam wasn't even supposed to side with you."

\- "According to whom?" –I scoffed.

\- "Kane. My mom and he thought you'd hand in Roan to save the Blakes."

\- "Your mom thought I'd give up the man that saved me from her dumb-ass plan? Alright, sure."

\- "She broke the machine!"

\- "When it was you going in it!" –I yelled back at her- "She said it herself, it wasn't going to work and yet she'd let anyone get inside but you. I don't care if she's your mom, Clarke, that's murder. Premeditated even if you asked me. And if she and Kane want to hold me accountable for everyone I've killed, then I'm going to do the same." –I crossed my arms over my chest- "I'm with Roan on this."

\- "This doesn't have to turn into a war." –she sounded angry and desperate.

\- "It's already a war." –Roan chimed in.

\- "Only if you fight it."

\- "Your people betrayed me, Wanheda." –Roan turned his back on her, walking around the room- "What would you have me do?"

\- "Live?" –she scoffed- "The radiation's gonna be here in six days and..."

\- "Alright, stop with that again." –I cut her off- "No one is going to live if we don't come to an agreement over the bunker. So please, explain to me how you intend on fitting Azgeda and Trikru, not to mention us, in the bunker for 5 years. It's not like Indra and Roan's clans have hated each other since the beginning of time, right?" –I missed being this kind of sarcastic and dramatic at the same time; it felt almost foreign.

\- "And I suppose Kane tried to get Indra to do that before agreeing to let them assassinate me." –Roan agreed with me- "So that didn't work either."

\- "Well, believe it or not, Kane was trying to save your life."

\- "Kane saves lives now? I'm impressed."

\- "You're being irrational."

\- "I'm not irrational, I'm pissed." –I shook my head- "I'm not surprised Kane thought Roan would agree to murdering his people because he decided to do what Kane himself does best: save his own ass, making side deals and leaving the rest with their pants down." –I sighed- "How did he not see this coming?"

\- "Sure, Kane is not the best at politics with the Grounders but now Azgeda has a chance."

\- "Develop."

\- "They had the temple surrounded, now no one can get in to survive unless you allow it." –Clarke explained, she did have a point- "Indra will have no choice but to talk."

**\---------------------**

**CLARKE'S POV**

I needed Roan to agree on this one; I didn't need a war to strike when Praimfaya was so close, we didn't have the time. He looked deep in thought for a couple minutes, probably weighing his options after I spoke until his eyes landed on Sam.

\- "Don't look at me." –she threw her hands up in the air- "I'm just Jusheda, I don't care who gets the bunker as long as my family is in it. You can be in charge, or Clarke or Indra, I don't care, but I'll take charge if I need to."

\- "We'll talk, then." –Roan conceded- "But I'm holding your people."

\- "My chancellor needs to be at that meeting Roan."

\- "Everyone knows Kane being Chancellor is because he's an adult not because he's actually capable of dealing with my friends around here."

\- "He's lucky he still has his head." –Roan walked past us- "I'll call the summit."

I waited for Roan to leave the room, making sure no one could hear us before I confronted Sam.

\- "What are you doing?"

\- "You're gonna have to be more specific. I'm managing various things at the same time."

\- "Roan."

\- "What?"

\- "You defending him!?" –I exclaimed and questioned at the same time- "We need that bunker."

\- "I know but we have a deal and I know he'll share it with us if it got to the point where Azgeda got it for themselves."

\- "And you truly believe that?"

\- "I do and so did you until we came back to Polis."

\- "Why?"

\- "Because out of all the people in the lab he was the only one willing to save me."

\- "Because he thought he owed you a debt!" –I tried to keep my voice contained but I was sure I had failed as Sam rolled her eyes- "Not because he cares."

\- "He could have chosen not to do anything, but he did. That means that, at some level, he does care, and that's more than I'm getting from most people these days, so I'll take it before I burn."

\- "You're not going to burn, Sam."

\- "If it comes down to your list, I will. I'm not getting in that bunker and kicking someone else outside."

\- "It won't come down to that."

\- "You'll survive either way."

She walked past me, following a guard that, I assumed, was to escort us to the summit. I soon understood he was there to escort her and bring me as a prisoner though. I sighed as I was tied up again. I understood Sam, she was dead set on doing whatever she had to do to save those she considered family and, above all, Octavia and Bellamy.

**\----------------------**

**BELLAMY'S POV**

After we received the news of the bunker Kane and Jaha had found in Polis, Arkadia had spent the whole day packing to leave before it was dark outside. Well, not all of Arkadia.

\- "It's jammed, same as the others, but this is the door to blow."

\- "How many gas canisters do we have?" –Jaha crossed his arms over his chest as he asked the guard.

\- "You can't be serious!" –I was quick to argue.

\- "It Mount Weather we beat the gas by using water." –Monty spoke before I could finish what I was saying- "Jasper will be ready for that."

\- "Alright." –I moved in front of them, not needing this confrontation right now- "Slow down, let me talk to them."

\- "Bellamy, we have over 400 people ready to march."

The truth was I liked this situation as much as anyone there, but I couldn't let them hurt the people inside of the hanger, having a party. Jasper and his new friends had decided this was the best time to do so.

\- "Gun!" –the guard from before yelled as Jasper took it and turned down the music and looked at us.

\- "It's Harper's." –Monty explained.

\- "How many more of them are armed?" –Jaha asked him.

\- "I don't know... a few maybe."

\- "DNR." –the guard read the letters on Jasper's hand as he placed it against the glass of the door- "What does that mean?"

\- "Do not resuscitate."

\- "Jasper." –I tried to reach him through the intercom after Jaha's explanation that didn't sit particularly well with Monty, as his eyes moved to the floor- "Put down the gun and open the door."

\- "We're not coming out."

\- "This is insane!" –Monty pushed me away from the panel and spoke on it- "Are you really willing to die when there's a way to live? Are they?"

\- "That's just it." –Jasper answered- "We don't think that's a way to live."

\- "Just go!" –Harper's voice was next, she sounded distressed, almost guilty- "Please."

\- "We're wasting time, set the charge." –Jaha commanded- "Do not fire unless fired upon."

\- "No!" –I pleaded- "Wait, just wait!" –I moved to the door again- "Jasper, people will get hurt and I know you care about that."

\- "If you don't want anyone to get hurt, don't open the door."

He ended the conversation, moving away from the door and turning the music up again. I didn't know what else to do, I didn't want them to give up but I also knew there were other people that needed our help and I wanted to go to Polis to see Sam who was probably already there and hopefully Octavia too. I knew I couldn't force Jasper, Harper or any of the other kids that had chosen to stay behind; if I had learned anything since we landed was that everyone was entitled to their own choices.

\- "Mr. Jordan." –Jaha took command of the conversation again- "I will not let children here to die."

\- "You sent them down here to die." –I scoffed- "The difference now is that they have a choice and so do you."

\- "What are you talking about?"

\- "This is what they want, Monty."

\- "They are wasted! They don't know what they want!"

\- "Stand down." –Jaha commanded after a couple seconds of silence, a guard taking the charge from the door- "Get ready to move out."

\- "What?" –Monty stopped Jaha from moving away- "No, you can't."

\- "I'm sorry, son, but Bellamy is right." –Jaha looked at me- "We can't save them if they don't want to be saved."

Jaha patted his shoulder and moved away. I turned around to see the people inside, they looked happy, dancing and laughing and drinking.

\- "If Octavia and Sam were in there, would you let them stay?"

\- "I would stay back with them."

\- "What if only Octavia was in there?"

\- "Sam would never leave her behind."

\- "Fine!" –Monty seemed exasperated as I failed to give him the answer he wanted- "What if Octavia had left but Sam was staying behind?"

\- "I'd stay behind with Sam."

\- "Alright, what if Sam were in Polis and Octavia was in there with Jasper."

\- "At least I'd get to say goodbye."

I knew he wanted me to say I'd break the door and force them to come with me but, the truth was, I had learned I couldn't control them as much as I wanted to sometimes; I couldn't dictate what O had to or couldn't do just because she was my sister and I definitively couldn't force Sam to be someone she wasn't just because I loved her and I thought I knew what was best for her -which is why I'd simply had to see Octavia decide for herself in that scenario and why I'd choose to be with Sam wherever she went, even if it meant dying.

**\--------------------**

**CLARKE'S POV**

Sam, Roan and I went to the Bunker, being received by Indra and a couple of her allies but things didn't exactly go according to plan: Indra refused, once again, to share a bunker with Azgeda and Roan proclaimed he had the doors to the temple under control and no Trikru would get past them. Nothing of what Sam and I said mattered to them, they were decided to go to war. As everyone started leaving the temple, I realized there was something I could do to stop this nonsense, so I stayed back with Indra's daughter: Gaia, the Flamekeeper.

\- "What are you doing?"

\- "I know you have the Flame." –I approached her after closing the doors- "I know Octavia gave it to you."

\- "I think you should leave, Clarke."

\- "I can't let them fight a war over the one thing that can save us."

\- "Not even Wanheda can stop the clans from killing each other. Do as Jusheda did, pick a side and get ready to fight."

\- "No, I know we can't stop this, but a Commander could."

\- "Of course a Commander could." –she scoffed- "Unfortunately, we need a Natblida for that."

I grabbed her knife and she wasted no time to take a step back, getting into a defensive position as she pointed another blade at me, but I wasn't going to fight her. I cut my hand and showed it to her.

\- "Make me the Commander."

**\------------------**

**ECHO'S POV**

It was decided we would fight for the bunker so we moved back to a safe place to prepare our strategy as soon as our King was back from the meeting. We had the perfect plan and we were ready to put in into practice when a horn sounded in the distance.

\- "The Ascension Call." –I breathed out, I couldn't believe it- "The Flame was destroyed." –I stood behind Roan as we looked at the Tower- "How's this possible? You said you saw it."

\- "It was shattered." –he started before his eyes went down with realization- "I saw what they wanted me to see."

\- "A new Commander is bad for us, Roan, but we control the Tower." –he faced me- "Let me stop this ascension, at least until we know who the Natblida is."

\- "I know who it is." –he started moving towards the door- "And I have a better idea."

\- "How can I help, my King?"

\- "We have our own Natblida."

I had no idea what Roan was talking about. There were no more Natblida's out there, it was impossible but, if Roan said we had one, I trusted he knew what he was doing so I followed him to the Tower and into the ascension room, finding there the heads of each clan with a couple of their personal guard each and the Flamekeeper, ready to start the ceremony.

\- "Auda riskines, Fleimon-de kigon. Medo gyon klin, ba Keryon ste yuj." [Through the dark, the Flame lives on. The body passes but the Spirit is strong.]

\- "Hofli keryon na sad in briyon." [May the Spirit choose wisely.]

\- "Keryon sou don sad in. Teik Heda nag yon op." [The Spirit has chosen. Let the Commander ascend.]

The Flamekeeper pointed at the door, through which Wanheda came walking with her head held high.  _No, this is bad._

\- "Remember when I told you about 'domina kom Azgeda'?" –Roan whispered to Jusheda, who was standing next to us.

\- "Yeah, seems a little late for that."

\- "It's never too late, Samantha."

As they had been murmuring nonsense, The Flamekeeper had cut Clarke's hand and bathed the Flame in her blood. It was black. I couldn't believe my eyes.

\- "Jus kom Heda laik yu jus." [The blood of the Commanders is your blood.]

\- "Allow me, Flamekeeper to question why there was no Conclave before this ascension."

\- "The Conclave is celebrated when there's more than one Natblida." –she answered Roan dryly- "Wanheda is the only Natblida left."

\- "I beg to disagree."

He pulled Jusheda next to him, cutting her hand before she could as so much struggle against his grip. She bled black too.  _Impossible._

\- "Azgeda presents Jusheda as their own Nablida."

\- "Jusheda is Trikru." –the Flamekeeper approached her, checking her bleeding hand- "If she fights for anyone, it'd be for them. Lexa made you Trikru, that's your clan now."

\- "Do I get a saying in this?"

\- "Jusheda is Trikru no more." –Roan ignored her comment completely- "She's domina kom Azgeda now."

He turned to her, bowing his head slightly and soon, our people were kneeling to her and I had to do the same.

\- "Sam!" –Wanheda moved towards her- "What are you doing?"

\- "Well, for the first time, this wasn't me."

\- "There must be a Conclave now." –the Flamekeeper stood between them, she looked startled by the new position Jusheda held, but knew she had to follow the rules of the clans- "You know the rules: you fight until death, the last one standing will ascend and become the new Commander."

I had to admit it had been an unexpected move on my King's side but it had just assured us an Azgeda Commander; there was no way Wanheda could even touch Jusheda. There was just one thing... how was Roan sure she wouldn't sacrifice herself?

\- "What makes you think I'll fight for you?" –Jusheda faced Roan, the anger in her eyes forced a smile on my face; I still stood behind my words from the day she executed Ulger, she could very well be one of us.

\- "Well..." –Roan whispered as the other clans were murmuring among each other about what this Conclave meant for each of them- "If you don't, your sister and your lover will face an extremely painful and bloody dead, then I'll go for that little kid that lives just next to the..."

\- "Fine!" –she cut him off- "I'll do it. On one condition."

\- "Speak."

\- "My family enters the bunker too."

\- "You have to win first."

\- "You're forcing me to fight because you know I'll win."

\- "Seems like we've got a deal."

**\--------------------**

**CLARKE'S POV**

I should have seen this one coming. Roan had played his cards all too well and now I was in trouble, there was no way I could win Sam in a fight. There was only one way I could stop this and it was coming clean, but that'd mean war, but if I didn't, Azgeda would get the bunker. I knew Roan had something on Sam, probably the Blakes' safety, or she would have come clean herself.

\- "It's a lie." –I exclaimed, gaining everyone's attention.

\- "What is?" –Gaia turned to face me.

\- "Afraid of dying, Wanheda?" –Roan had a smile on his face; I realized all too late it wouldn't matter what I did, he'd get the bunker for his people either way.

\- "I was trying to save us all, you know that."

\- "Because we're savages in need of saving?" –he laughed.

\- "Praimfaya is almost here!"

\- "Then, let's waste no more time." –he approached me- "Come clean or fight my Natblida and trust me, she will kill you."

I glanced at Sam but I couldn't read anything in her face. I was alone in this one.

\- "Stop this!" –suddenly, my mom busted through the doors- "What are you doing?"

\- "I'm trying to save us."

\- "We don't know if this works, the Flame could kill you!"

\- "Jusheda will!" –someone yelled in the crowd.

\- "Samantha?" –my mom looked confused- "What's the meaning of this?"

\- "Jusheda fights to ascend for Azgeda against Wanheda who fights for Skaikru." –Gaia explained- "This Conclave starts at sundown."

\- "No." –my mom shook her head- "You'll die."

\- "I have to try."

\- "No." –she turned around- "They became Natblidas through science."

\- "You made them Nightbloods?" –Gaia questioned in disbelief, taking the Flame as my mom nodded- "And you knew?" –she faced Roan.

\- "Which is why I forced Jusheda to fight, it was the only way Wanheda would come clean." –murmurs rose on the room agreeing with Roan and in disbelieved he'd use Sam like that- "We can no longer trust the blood."

\- "What we can still trust is the sword." –Indra agreed with him, unexpectedly- "We've delayed this war long enough."

\- "Wait." –Roan asked her as she moved to the door- "Wanheda is right about one thing, fighting a war is a bad way to decide who gets to survive." –he then turned to Gaia- "You've summoned all your scouts here for an ascension but you left out the best part."

\- "The Conclave."

\- "A Final Conclave." –Roan corrected Indra- "One champion per clan, one death instead of thousands and, whoever wins, gets the bunker."

\- "Gon wina gon maneit." [To the victor go the spoils.]

Indra and Roan agreed and soon, each head of the other clans did too. We were doomed. I had to agree too, already thinking of a way to win this if that was even possible.

\- "Who'll fight for each clan?" –Gaia asked, standing in the front of the room- "Choose wisely."

The heads of clans were fast to choose their fighters, they all had an excellent warrior who'd be willing to die to save their clan. But we didn't.

\- "I'm going to assume you won't let me fight for Skaikru." –Sam questioned, looking at Gaia.

\- "No." –Roan didn't waste a second to oppose, not allowing Gaia to say anything.

\- "Afraid of dying, sire?"

\- "It was settled long ago you weren't Skaikru anymore, and I think the rest of the clans would agree." –Roan moved his hands and I could see most of the people there nodding their heads.

\- "I'm fighting in that conclave to save my family because you all are too stupid to share the only thing that can save us."

\- "Jusheda, domina kom Azgeda, will not take part in the Final Conclave for any other clan."

\- "Alright, alright." –Sam raised her hands in the air, motioning for Roan to calm down- "I'll take the title."

\- "Good."

\- "And I, Jusheda, domina kom Azgeda, volunteer as Champion for my clan."

The tension in between the two of them was almost aspiring all the air in the room, to the point in which it was uncomfortable to be there. I looked around, every head of each clan had their eyes on Roan and Sam as they stood in the middle of the room, murmurs could be heard around but none clear enough for me to understand. Roan furrowed his eyebrows, I could tell he didn't see Sam's move coming as she looked pleased with herself. I couldn't let her do that. I knew if Sam got it, she had a lot of possibilities of winning it and I couldn't let us loose the bunker like that.

\- "Sam..." –I pleaded- "You can't do that."

\- "I just did." –her voice was hard.

\- "I will represent our clan, Jusheda."

\- "I'd say it's only fair we fight for the position, then." –Sam smiled- "Unless you're afraid of losing to me."

\- "I..."

\- "See you at dawn."

Sam didn't allow Roan to say anything else as she walked away, the people next to the door making way for her as she did. I followed her.

\- "Sam!" –I yelled as I caught up with her- "What are you thinking?"

\- "What do you think I'm thinking?" –she whispered, looking around as we waited for the elevator.

\- "You can't seriously be thinking of winning that conclave for Azgeda, we'll all die."

\- "Relax, Clarke, I always have a plan."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember that constructive criticism is always welcome, thank you🍸


	17. We'll save ourselves.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy says goodbye to a couple of old friends before finally leaving towards Arkadia; there, Clarke is eager to learn about Sam’s plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, get the tissues ready. No one's dying but, you know, just get them.

**BELLAMY'S POV**

It was hard, knowing I had to leave people behind. I didn't like it, but I knew it was their choice, even if those people were my friends. I had made a final swoop of Sam and I's room, looking for anything she might had left behind when she went to the lab, only finding a small blade. I took it with me, keeping it on the inside pocket of my jacket, close to my heart. Sure, it was corny, but it made me feel closer to her.  _I'm coming, Sam. We're surviving. Together._

\- "Remember, it's not black rain but it can turn at any moment." –I stood in the middle of the hallway as everyone started to leave- "So keep the person with your assigned chem tent in sight at all times."

\- "No one but us saves ourselves." –Jaha nodded at me and moved outside- "We ourselves must walk the path."

I stood behind, waiting for everyone to make it out when Harper and Jasper walked up to me from one of the hallways.

\- "Not too late to change your mind."

\- "Yes, it is." –Jasper answered- "You can still stay, you know?"

\- "I'm not a quitter."

\- "Is that the only reason?" –he rose an eyebrow at me, we all knew it wasn't.

\- "I'm going with Sam." –he chuckled and nodded- "What am I going to tell her?" -I sighed, tilting my head to the side and raising my eyes to look at him.

\- "She'll understand."

\- "It's going to break her heart."

\- "I'm counting on you to keep her sane now."

\- "It took the end of the world for you to trust me with Sam, huh?" –I couldn't help but smile.

\- "Well, I still don't get what she sees in you." –he shrugged his shoulders but I knew he was just playing- "I hope you'll find a way to live, she deserves it more than any of you going into that place."

What he was saying was true, and I knew it wasn't an attack on me. For a second, I was glad Sam wasn't there because I could see her staying behind with Jasper not to leave him alone.

\- "Where's Monty?" –Harper questioned looking around me.

\- "Unloading the Rover. We're leaving it behind for you, by the way." –I saw the sadness in her eyes- "He didn't say goodbye?"

\- "No..." –she shook her head, I could tell she was trying to hold back the tears- "You and Sam... take care of him, will you?"

\- "We will."

She took a step closer to me and I hugged her. I knew I'd miss her, but I couldn't understand why Monty had left without saying anything. As we broke apart, I looked at Jasper, I could feel my eyes about to tear up; he might not have realized, but I cared for him, a lot, and not only because Sam would have done just about anything for him but because I knew Jasper was good.

\- "May we meet again." –I spoke, fighting the tears and the sadness in my voice, really wishing it'd be true.

\- "We won't." –he stated harshly.

\- "Whatever the hell you want." –I shook my head, it was getting harder not to get emotional.

He laughed and moved to hug me, I couldn't believe I was leaving him behind. It felt wrong.

\- "I'm glad Sam's not here." –he confessed as he moved away- "This would have been too hard." –he moved his hands to his eyes, before the tears could fall- "Would you tell her that I love her and that... that I'm terribly glad she agreed to be my friend?" –his voice was shaky as he spoke, almost a murmur as he finished- "I'm so thankful she was in that dropship... I wouldn't have made it this far without her." -a quiet chuckle escaped his mouth.

\- "I will." –I nodded profusely, a tear falling down my cheek- "She loves you so much, Jasper, and I know she's your first friend from Earth..." –I chuckled softly- "... but you're so much more to her, you're family."

\- "She's my family too." –I could see the tears in his eyes as he smiled- "Thank you, Bellamy."

**\---------------------**

**CLARKE'S POV**

Sam pulled me inside the elevator as soon as it opened, placing her finger over her lips, motioning me to stay quiet. I nodded. We got down on the first level, moving to the room just above the street that crossed Polis so that we could see our people arrive.

\- "What are you thinking, Sam?"

\- "Do you trust me to do what's best for us?"

\- "I..."

\- "You don't, fine." –she didn't seem hurt by my hesitation- "Can you try now, at least?" –I nodded- "I need you to choose a fighter for Skaikru and it can't be you."

\- "And then what? They die as soon as the fight starts? And why not me."

\- "They won't die." –Sam shook her head, resting her elbows on the balcony and her head on her hands- "If you go out there, they'll hunt you down."

\- "And they won't hunt you down?"

\- "They can try but they won't succeed."

\- "How do you know?"

\- "Call me narcissistic but I know for a fact I can win them, I'm a killing machine; Ulger made sure I was, I am trained for this. Besides, hut me down? Let them try." –she seemed entertained by only thinking about it but her voice didn't leave room for discussion either- "Also, you can't tell anyone about my new blood."

\- "They already know."

\- "You know very well what I mean." -she eyed me- "Not to Bellamy, not to Octavia, not even to Kane and let's not even get me started on Jasper and Monty and Harper and..."

\- "Fine, fine." –I stopped her- "Why?"

\- "They haven't been particularly friendly to Nightbloods." -it was a reason, not a good one, but she had a point; however, I knew there was something else.

\- "Sam, you're still the same."

\- "Truth is, I don't want to discuss with any of them the circumstances of my new blood, alright? You want them to freak out? I don't."

\- "They won't learn it from me but my mom...."

\- "Your mom is too afraid of me to say anything that might kill us all, she won't."

\- "I'm sorry about what happened at the lab, I'd have never let you do it if I had known it wouldn't work."

\- "I know, it's okay. It just bugged me how your mom was so sure it'd work when it was Emori but, as soon as it was you, she came clean. I know they've just met but, honestly? I had just met you when we landed and I didn't try to get rid of you just because you were one of the privileged."

\- "Well, we weren't exactly on the best of terms." –I chuckled next to her.

\- "I don't trust easy, but I'm glad you were there to save me all those times."

\- "I had help."

\- "Sure." –she scoffed, turning around and resting now her lower back on the balcony as she crossed her arms over her chest- "Whose exactly?"

\- "Well, to begin with, it was hard to let you die knowing how much my co-leader cared for you. I didn't need him going rogue."

\- "Please, Clarke..."

She started laughing, her head falling back as she closed her eyes; her laugh was contagious and I soon found myself laughing with her. It felt nice having a little moment of peace with her like that, we might not have always seen eye to eye, but I liked to think of us as friends; she liked to say we wouldn't have survived without me –or Bellamy- but the truth was that she was just as important for our survival as we both had been.

\- "Sam!" –a new voice called for her- "Hey!" –I landed eyes on him- "Hi, Clarke."

\- "Bellamy!" –Sam eagerly exclaimed as she turned around- "You're here!"

\- "I'm coming up, don't move."

He started running in the direction of the door below us as Sam turned to look at me. She had sounded so surprised and so excited to see him, her eyes telling me the same thing as I looked at her but it lasted only a second before she took a deep breath.

\- "You're going to have to take care of him when he goes rogue."

\- "Sam, we can find another way." –I tried to lighten her up- "I still don't know what you intend on doing."

\- "Well, it's an easy plan." –she shrugged her shoulders- "I go in, I kill everyone and your fighter kills me." –she moved her hand in front of me as she saw me ready to complain- "You know as well as me this is the only way. If I can't fight for Skaikru no one else can. The only one who's trained in Grounder combat is Octavia and I'm not risking her life when I know damn well I can do win this for you myself."

I knew she was right just as I realized this moment we had just shared was Sam trying to leave our relationship in good terms before dying. I hated it.

\- "Sam..."

Bellamy's soft yet eager voice as he entered the room made me turn around. Knowing what I knew, I felt I should have left them alone but, for some reason, I couldn't move as I looked at them: Sam practically jumped on him, Bellamy catching her in his arms as he laughed, questioning why she didn't always receive him like this before she kissed him. I had to look away, not because their love disgusted me but because it reminded me of what I had lost and because I knew what Bellamy was about to go through as soon as the sun came out the next day and the Final Conclave started because I had no doubts Sam would win Roan for the spot to represent Azgeda.

\- "Everything ok, Clarke?" –Bellamy asked me, he had left Sam back on the ground but his arms remained around her.

\- "Yeah, yeah." –I smiled- "Everyone is here already?"

\- "Not everyone." –he answered way too quickly- "What happened here?"

\- "It's possible that the clans are at war." –Sam mused as she moved back to the balcony; I knew she was looking for the time to get down to fight.

\- "What?"

\- "We avoided a generalized war by calling in a Conclave." –I explained- "One person of each clan must fight to death. Whoever wins, gets the bunker. No guns."

As my words settled in, it was as if a spark lightened in Bellamy's brain as he moved behind Sam in less time that I could count, trapping her in the balcony.

\- "Please, tell me you aren't fighting for Skaikru."

\- "I'm not." –Sam turned around to face him- "Because they banned me from doing so, not because I didn't try, by the way."

\- "We haven't chosen a champion for us yet, but we have to do it soon."

\- "There's no way we can win this." –Bellamy sighed- "What are we going to do."

\- "Oh, I have a plan." –Sam was quick to move from his reach as I got ready for whatever happened next.

\- "I don't like your plans."

\- "Not even if Skaikru gets the Bunker?"

\- "Every Skaikru?" –he pressed her.

\- "Every Skaikru."

She nodded, she wasn't technically lying, she wasn't Skaikru anymore according to practically everyone in the Tower. And that's when it hit me, that's when I understood why Octavia couldn't fight for us.

\- "Fine, then tell me what's the plan, maybe I can help."

\- "I need you to make sure O doesn't make it here until the Final Conclave has started."

\- "Why?"

\- "Well, first of all, she will want to fight and I'm sure she'd do just fine but I'm the older sister so I don't want her. in the arena. That's the second reason."

\- "I'll try." –he nodded- "What's next?"

\- "Jusheda." –an Azgeda warrior stood at the door- "Em time" [It's time]

\- "Mochof." –[Thank you] Sam nodded at him before turning to Bellamy- "I have to go now, but I'll be back."

\- "Where are you going?"

\- "I'm putting the plan in motion." -she shrugged her shoulders.

\- "I'm coming with you." -he moved after her but she stopped him, placing her hand on his chest.

\- "You can't."

\- "Why not? What are you going to do?"

\- "I'm going to fight Roan." -she moved away from him.

\- "What!? Is that your plan?"

\- "Only the beginning." –Sam murmured- "I'm sorry, Bellamy, it's the only way."

\- "What way? What are you saying."

\- "You just make sure O doesn't put a foot in Polis until I'm done, alright? I won't pull this off if she does... they won't let me." –she moved to the door, leaving a startled and desperate Bellamy in the middle of the room but, before she left, she turned to look at him- "I'll see you later, love."

Sam disappeared in the shadows, Bellamy tried to follow her but two Azgeda men cut his way and forced him back in the room; as much as he protested, he couldn't win this one.

\- "Clarke!" –he faced me now- "What the fuck is happening?"

\- "Sam volunteered to fight for Skaikru but Roan opposed. I think he fears she could kill him and win for us."

\- "Of course she could! You saw what she did to Ulger."

\- "I know..."

\- "What happened, Clarke?" –distraught was all I could read in his face- "I need to know."

\- "To prevent Sam from fighting for Skaikry or Trikru, the two clans she's been attached to and that would allow her to take the spot as their Champion, Roan named her domina kom Azgeda."

\- "Domina?" –he blinked hard a couple times- "What is that supposed to mean."

\- "Let's just say Azgeda is ruled by two people now." –I knew what he was thinking as soon as he took a step back, startled by my words- "It's not a marriage." –I tried to ease his thoughts.

\- "Yet."

\- "Sam would never do that to you."

\- "This is not about me, Clarke, this is about her." –he took a deep breath- "I never proposed to her because none of us really believes in the whole marriage ordeal. Fuck, you don't think I thought of asking her to marry me a thousand times?" -he scoffed; truth was, I hadn't- "But, if she wanted to move on with Roan, I'd have to let her go but... marrying by force? I can't let her do that, not when I know that's the last thing she'd want to do with her life."

\- "For what's worth..." –I pointed down from the balcony, Sam standing in the deem light- "They can't get married if one is dead."

\- "Wait, what is Roan doing there?"

\- "Sam's fighting him now to decide which of them fights tomorrow for Azgeda."

\- "You're telling me Roan didn't want her on the conclave but will fight her one-on-one now?" –he scoffed- "That's a stupid move, even for Roan."

\- "I know..." –I sighed- "There has to be something else we aren't seeing. I'm thinking they'll just fight now but not to dead."

\- "What happens later? Once Sam wins Roan." -he didn't even consider the opposite side of the coin, he knew she'd win.

\- "She fights tomorrow for Azgeda."

\- "How does that hand the bunker to Skaikru?"

\- "She will protect our champion from all the other clans'."–I gulped. "Once there's only her and whoever fights for us, she'll let them kill her... we win, the bunker is ours, every Skaikru survives."

\- "No..." -he took a step back.

\- "And I think, the reason she doesn't want Octavia here is that, if your sister fights for us, the clans won't let Sam fight for Azgeda. If the people in Polis have something clear about Sam other than what she is, is that no one touches Octavia. They know she'll die for her."

\- "I can't let her do that, Clarke." –Bellamy moved to the door- "I can't pay that price and I won't let her either. I know it's selfish but I can't lose her."

\- "There's no other way."

\- "There's always another way, Clarke!"

He moved back to the balcony, yelling and enraged but I couldn't blame him, even if seeing him like that scared me. Out of the shadows, I distinguished a couple more people following Roan and standing at his sides; from where we were, we could see Sam moving her head, looking at them all, her posture changing completely.

\- "What's happening?"

\- "I... I don't know, something's wrong." –I moved back from the balcony- "Come on."

We ran downstairs to the ground, getting there fast as we were only on the first level. Sam had her longer blade out, she was looking pissed, a massive contrast to the pleased smile on Roan's face.

\- "What's going on?" –I questioned before Bellamy could even open his mouth; I didn't need him making a mess.

\- "I'll tell you what's happening." –Sam eyed me as she pointed the blade to Roan's throat- "This asshole is trying to ban me from the conclave altogether."

\- "I'm not banning you, the council is meeting to decided your fate."

\- "The council was just fine with our little duel until you went back to persuade them because you're a fucking asshole and you're afraid." –Sam took a step towards him, a couple Azgeda man got closer to her threateningly- "You know you are going to die before Praimfaya."

\- "You will obey your King."

\- "My King?" –Sam scoffed; if Roan was trying to enrage her, he was doing a great job- "You will kneel to the Queen."

Sam kicked him on the stomach, Roan falling back on his ass at the unexpectedness of the situation. I couldn't say anything nor Bellamy could grab Sam back before Roan nodded at the four men with him, who quickly surrounded Sam, taking out their blades and pushing Bellamy and me away as the two members of the council that were there too moved away behind the fighters to avoid getting hit, but willing to stay to see how this played out.

\- "Roan, stop this!" –I yelled.

\- "This is her fault, she just had to stay down and let me fight for our clan."

\- "So you're getting your dogs to get rid of me? To do the job you don't want to do?" –Sam stood still in the middle of the circle- "Fine, I'll start with them."

\- "Sam, please, let it go." –Bellamy begged- "It's not worth it, we'll find a way."

\- "Two things before I kill these idiots: number one: your life is worth everything I have; number two: I am the way."

I knew Sam loved Bellamy and I knew she was willing to die for him but that didn't stop me from being startled by her words nor from my heart breaking a little for them. They both had tried so hard to be good for each other, to go back to what they were... but I was starting to think there was no going back for Sam. Aware of her capability of killing those men, I was not going to stand in her way, so I pulled Bellamy back as he protested almost getting rid of me when the men moved against Sam. It was entrancing, watching her fight; sometimes I wished I had her abilities, her strength... I moved my eyes from her to look at Roan, the superiority complex his face showed dropped more and more as the seconds passed, his men falling dead on the ground until only Sam was still standing, covered in red blood.  _They didn't even manage to cut her. It'd be easy to tell now that we are Nightbloods._ Roan looked taken aback as Sam pointed her bloody blade at him.

\- "Drop the blade!"

\- "Echo." –Sam mused as I looked around trying to find her; she was lying on a roof near us, pointing an arrow at Sam- "I thought you learned your lesson."

\- "Drop the blade, Jusheda." -Echo's tone was threatening- "I'm protecting my King."

\- "Your King is weak." -Sam didn't flinch, answering her with a mocking tone- "Make it a killer shot or Roan goes down with me and Azgeda dies with us, Echo."

\- "Jusheda," -A new female voice spoke in the distance- "Your move."

Roan seemed to recognize the woman but not Sam as we all moved our gazes up to where Echo was, now with a blade to her neck and a woman standing over her.

\- "We'll follow you."

\- "I guess Azgeda will have a new Queen after all." –Sam chuckled, tilting her head back at Roan again- "For the sake of correctness, I'll make you the same deal we had before you pulled this shit: fight me to represent Azgeda in the conclave. Die now to my blade or tomorrow burning outside the bunker. Choose."

Roan eyed Sam up and down and opened his mouth to speak but the hooves of a horse in the silence of the night gained all our attention.

\- "O..." -Sam whispered as Bellamy realized what was happening, running to Octavia- "No..."

\- "No clan will allow you to fight now that your sister is here to fight for Skaikru."

Roan smiled to himself as he spoke, the men from the council whispered and nodded their heads to each other before they moved away.  _Sam had been right._  I had moved my eyes from her just a second, the same second it took for her to let her guard down as Octavia approached us and Roan stabbed her.

\- "But just in case." –he pulled the blade out from her abdomen, whispering the words just loud enough for me and Sam to hear now that Bellamy was away from us.

\- "Sam!" –I whisper-yelled as I ran up to her; Roan pushed her back, leaving in the shadows as I got to her, holding her up and looking at her abdomen.

\- "I'm fine, don't let them know." –she pointed with her head at the siblings and I nodded- "I'll see you in hell, Roan!" –she yelled, holding her abdomen to stop the bleeding, it was good she was wearing black.

\- "Sam!" –Octavia yelled, her eyes frantically traveling all over Sam- "What happened?"

\- "I'm fine, it's not my blood. I'll hug you later when I'm not a blood pile." –Sam smiled at her- "But I'm going to need a favor from you since I assume you're here for the conclave, fucking up my bulletproof plan, by the way."

\- "Whatever you need." –Octavia nodded taking Sam's hand, the one Sam hadn't used to press her wound; she was being extra careful not to let them know about the Nightblood thing.

\- "Kill Roan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Constructive criticism is always welcome, thank you🍸


	18. Be prepared.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The clans prepare for the Final Conclave, choosing their Champions. Alliances form and others break. Newcomers will make things harder than they already are.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very nervous about this one, like I haven't been in a while, I'm hoping you guys will enjoy it🌿

**CLARKE'S POV**

I don't know how Sam managed to convince the Blakes to leave us there, it probably had to do with the rush we all felt and the fact that all our lives were in the line now. Octavia was supposed to take her horse to shelter and then move to the Tower while Bellamy informed of her arrival and presented her as our Champion.

\- "How are you?" –I asked her as I placed her arm over my shoulder to help her walk.

\- "I'll survive."

\- "That's not really an answer."

\- "I didn't want Octavia to fight. I know she can do it, but I'd have rather done it myself." –she sighed- "You'll survive and that's all that matters."

\- "You seem pretty sure Octavia is capable of winning this Conclave..."

\- "I know what she's capable of, I'm certain she can win."

\- "You think she can kill Roan?"

\- "She may not need to but, if it came to that, I'm convinced she can." –she stopped walking- "Wait, you... don't?"

\- "I'm not sure, Sam, their Champions are all highly trained and Roan..."

\- "You know what? I don't need to hear this." –she walked on her own now, stumbling a little- "I'll get to Jackson, get this fixed and then I'll go to my sister."

\- "Sam! Wait!" –I caught up with her- "If Octavia doesn't win, we're all dead."

\- "I sense you aren't sold on this idea. Would you like to fight yourself?" –I gulped- "Yeah, didn't think so."

**\---------------**

**SAM'S POV**

_Honestly? Fuck Roan and fuck Praimfaya._ I was looking for Jackson because I wasn't sure I wanted anything to do with Abbie right now.  _I have to talk to O, she has to know how Azgeda fights before she goes in._  Luckily for my bleeding persona, Jackson wasn't that hard to find, he was with Miller.

\- "Sorry to interrupt but I'm in need of assistance." –I smiled as I walked up to them- "I'll be fast, there's something I have to do before the Conclave."

\- "What happened?" –Miller rushed to my side as Jackson got his med kit, I thought it was funny how they knew what assistance I needed without even saying it.

\- "Roan stabbed me to make sure I can't fight tomorrow." –he helped me lay down on a table after I took off my jacket and shirt- "But it's okay, Octavia is here."

\- "Wait, Octavia is fighting for us?" –Miller sounded surprised as Jackson came next to me.

\- "It doesn't seem too deep." –he started disinfecting it before he could close it- "You're lucky, he could have killed you."

\- "If he wanted to kill me, he would have, I was completely distracted." –I squeezed Jackson's hand before turning to Miller- "Yeah, the bunker is yours."

\- "Ours?"

\- "You didn't hear?" –I had to laugh, this whole situation sounded still like a big joke to me- "I'm Azgeda now, that's why I was fighting Roan for the place to be their Champion."

\- "Octavia won't let you stay outside."

\- "What makes you think..." –I paused mid-sentence as I felt the needle in my skin, Jackson mouthing 'sorry' to me- "What makes you think the clans will allow me to step foot near the bunker?" –he seemed ready to protest- "That's a problem for tomorrow. Now, I need my stomach to stop bleeding because I have to see Octavia before the Conclave."

\- "You need to take it easy." –Jackson advised me seriously- "I'm just Abbie's assistant..."

\- "I wouldn't trust anyone else with my wounds, Jackson." –I took his hand as he helped me up- "You're a great doctor and a genius as far as I'm concerned."

\- "But Abbie is the one who took care of your...."

\- "You just sewed me up!" –I laughed pointing at my stomach- "And you kept me alive after the Mountain when Abbie wasn't there. You need to trust yourself a bit more."

\- "That's what I've been saying." –Miller gave him a look and I laughed as I put on my shirt.

\- "I'll see you both later."

\- "Take it easy!"

\- "I always do!" –I waved at Jackson who simply shook his head- "And sorry for interrupting!"

I winked at them as I left walking fast and putting on my jacket. I knew where in the Tower each Champion that had been already been decided was supposed to be, so I made my way there, finding Echo and Roan first.

\- "You." –I approached Roan, pushing him back against the wall- "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

\- "Here to make an alliance, traitor?" –Echo eyed me up and down.

\- "I haven't betrayed anyone so you might want to revise the definition of 'treason', my friend." –I looked at her- "I'll forget about that arrow you just pointed at me for the sake of business. I'm just here to remind the King that he fucked up." –I smiled at him, sarcastically, of course- "Big time, by the way."

\- "The King knows what's best for his people, including you."

\- "What is that supposed to mean?" –I confronted him- "What is she talking about?"

\- "Nothing." –he gave a reprimanding look to Echo.

\- "I demand an explanation as to why you won't let me take the spot for Azgeda's Champion when it's obviously the best choice. If the black rain falls during the Conclave, I'd be the only one able to move around. That's a winning strategy, even you have to agree with me on that."

\- "I do."

\- "Then what's your problem, am I that threatening to your power or what?" -I crossed my arms over my chest, I was pissed and I wanted an explanation- "Is this because of that woman that stopped Echo from shooting at me?"

He wrapped his hand tightly around my arm pulling me away from the hallway and into an empty room, Echo following us and closing the door after she made sure no one was there or saw us coming inside.

\- "Alright, enough with this much mystery."

\- "The reason I stopped you from fighting, aside from the fact that you'd have never let your people die, is that there was a plot going on with the rest of the clans against you."

\- "Should I be surprised? Isn't that what people do? Form an alliance and then break it?"

\- "You don't understand, Jusheda, the rest of clans hate Azgeda, I heard 6 War Chiefs plotting for their Champions to kill you first if you stepped foot down there."

\- "You both were trying to save my life?"

\- "You're welcome."

\- "But you agree a Nightblood would be better off down there." –he nodded at my words- "If you heard them and they don't know this..." –I looked at Echo.

\- "I'm a spy, Jusheda." -she scoffed- "They don't know."

\- "This is an advantage for us, isn't it?"

\- "I can't let you fight now that your sister fights too."

\- "What if we make a deal? You and I, no one else needs to know."

\- "I'm listening."

**\-----------------------**

**BELLAMY'S POV**

Octavia had been isolated in a room just like the other Champions and I couldn't find Sam anywhere. I had run into Miller who told me she had seen her before they went to sleep and that her intention had been to visit Octavia but I knew she never made it there as I asked the council's member guarding the Champion's rooms. I was starting to wonder whether she had a plan b when I went the next morning to see if they'd allow me to see Octavia before the fight. As I approached the room, I felt despair settling on my stomach as I knocked on the door and opened it, finding Octavia sat down playing with her hand. She was nervous. I don't know what would have worried me more, seeing her completely calm or like this.

\- "Why are you here?" –she eyed me, straightening her back- "To give me a pep talk?"

Her voice was hard and cynical; it didn't necessarily surprise me but it did sound foreign since I hadn't seen her in a while, let alone had a proper conversation with her. She had changed. She had decided the only thing she was good at was war, and that's what she intended to do. It made sense Sam and she were so close, they were similar in more than one way.

\- "O..." –I sat next to her- "You don't have to do this, we can find someone else to fight."

\- "If I die, I die." –she stated, no room for discussion- "At least I go down fighting."

\- "O..." –I wanted to reason with her but she sounded so much like Sam right now, it was clear it wasn't going to work, whatever I said, she had her mind made up.

\- "Don't." –she cut me off before I could even think about what else to say- "This is my decision, Bell." –she rose from beside me- "I know what the odds are, I don't need you pointing them out."

I knew she was right and my intention coming here wasn't lowering her spirits, I just wanted to know that she was okay, maybe try to convince her not to do it.

\- "It's time." -Clarke came into the room as Gaia started to name the Champions in the background.

\- "Have you seen Sam?" –I questioned moving up to them.

\- "I'm sure she's fine. She's probably around, checking the competition and we'll see her before the fight... she'll probably come to you then to let you know what she's learned..."

\- "I thought she might come to see..."

\- "It's fine." –Octavia cut us off as she walked past Clarke- "It's better this way."

\- "Hey." –Clarke's demanding tone made O stop just by the door and turn around to look at her- "You got this."

Octavia nodded and exited the room, leaving us both there.

\- "You really think she has a chance?" –I had to ask.

\- "Right now, she needs to believe it."

Clarke didn't think she could do this either.  _So, this is the end._ I knew Octavia could fight and defend herself, but this was something else; I had seen Ulger fighting Sam and I could only imagine these people were trained on the same level. I sighed before I walked outside, standing in the crowd next to Clarke and Kane as Gaia kept naming the Champions, I was zoned out until I heard her name.

\- "Samantha kom Azgeda."

I froze in my place, my breath caught up in my chest as I frantically looked around, seeing the confused expression on Kane and Clarke's faces while the crowd murmured. I saw Sam walk up to the stage were Gaia was, walking past Roan and Echo who had satisfied expressions on their faces. She looked so strong and regal, I hated it.

\- "I thought Roan didn't want her to fight." –Kane murmured next to me.

\- "This is suicide, I have to..."

\- "It's too late, Bellamy."

Clarke pointed with her head at the stage, forcing me to look there too. Sam was standing next to the other warriors with the symbol of Azgeda hanging from her neck, an emotionless façade on. There was no going back now.

\- "Octavia kom Skaikru."

Octavia didn't waste a second to join Sam up there, Sam avoided her eyes and I knew Octavia was just as confused as we were.  _What the fuck did you do now, Sam?_

\- "A Conclave." –Gaia started once the Champions of each clan had been presented- "A battle to the death within the walls of Polis. These warriors will fight until only one remains, when that warrior collects all the sigils from the fallen and delivers them to me, they will be declared the victor. This final Champion alone will tell us which clan is meant to survive in the crypt of Bekka Pramheda and which clans are meant to perish in Praimfaya."

She then proceeded to say some words in Trig that were interrupted by someone else's. Luna. The people of Polis panicked, murmurs rose, Octavia looked concerned for a second but Sam simply rose an unimpressed eyebrow as she saw Luna approaching Gaia. I thought I saw her nod at Roan and Echo, none of them looked especially worried to have a trained Nightblood there.

\- "I'm Luna kom Floukru and I'm the last of my clan."

\- "We know who you are: the Natblida who ran from her conclave."

\- "I'm not running from this one."

Luna's voice was hard and Gaia looked slightly taken aback by her words but also by her cynical tone as she turned around to collect Floukru's sigil.

\- "With no one from your clan left, who do you fight for?"

\- "I fight for no one." –Luna answered Gaia before she turned around to look at the crowd with a smile on her face- "I fight for death." –the crowd started murmuring- "When I win, no one will be saved."

**\----------------------**

**CLARKE'S POV**

I couldn't believe my eyes when Luna showed up and I definitively wished I couldn't understand her words when she proclaimed she fought for all of us to die. Now there was no way Octavia could win this. I felt eyes on me. Sam's. Only for a second, she eyed me before the Champions were escorted to the Worgeda. I still couldn't understand why Sam was there, Roan had made it clear he wouldn't allow her. I had to speak to him. Jaha, Kane, Bellamy and I remained at the plaza as everyone started leaving.

\- "Skaikru!" –Gaia walked up to us- "Two advisors to the Worgeda, the rest of you, report to your designated safe zone. Now."

\- "Come on." –Kane motioned Bellamy as we had agreed they both would do best- "We have to get her ready."

\- "This conversation isn't over." –Jaha pulled Kane back- "The death wave will be here within three days and here we are, risking the fate of our people on a blood sport?"

\- "The fate of all people." –I faced him- "You heard Luna."

\- "She's one of 13."

\- "She's a Nightblood novitiate, which means she trained in combat exactly like this."

\- "You want us to cheat?"

Bellamy faced me, I knew what I was proposing wasn't right but I couldn't find another way; as much as Sam believed in Octavia and in herself, I had seen Lexa fight and I could only imagine Luna would be just as good or even better now. Maybe Sam might have a chance of winning this, but not Octavia and, since I didn't know what Roan was planning, I couldn't risk it.

\- "You know the rules. If we break them, we lose, and if we lose, we die."

\- "The rules are not the problem, Marcus, the game is. Even if we stop Luna, even if Octavia finds a way to win, does anyone truly believe that the Grounders will accept Skaikru as the lone survivors?"

\- "Yes." –Kane answered- "We're all Grounders now."

\- "And what about Samantha?" –Jaha insisted- "What is she doing? Will Octavia be able to kill her if the time comes?"

\- "She isn't one of us anymore." –I sighed- "I don't know what she's doing but, right now, that's not important. We have bigger problems."

\- "We fight to find out why Roan allowed Sam to fight for them."

\- "Whatever Samantha chooses to do, it's not of our business now, son. She isn't one of us."

Jaha tried to pat Bellamy's back but he moved away from him with a scold on his face.

\- "Roan might have made her one of them, but she's from the Ark just like me, and I'm not going to abandon her." -Bellamy looked at me- "I'm sure there's something we aren't seeing here, Clarke. Roan knows Sam won't kill Octavia so why let her fight?"

\- "Then Octavia will have a chance to win for us." -Jaha looked pleased with himself- "She just has to stay away from the rain and..."

As Jaha kept talking, I started to put the pieces together, coming to a realization about what Sam might have been doing and why they -Roan, Echo, and Sam- didn't seem bothered that Luna showed up. I simply nodded at them, prompting them to go check on Octavia and Jaha to leave to our designated safe zone. I saw Roan and Echo speaking to Sam in the distance, so I approached them.

\- "What are you doing?"

\- "Isn't it obvious?" -she faced me- "I'm fighting for my clan."

\- "What are you doing here, Wanheda?" –Roan moved next to Sam, almost covering her- "You should leave."

\- "Do you think you can kill Luna?" –I ignored him and addressed Sam again.

\- "If you're here to make an alliance, the time has passed."

\- "We don't make deals with traitors." -Echo almost spat at me after Roan spoke.

\- "I'm here because I want the human race to survive." -I retorted before addressing Roan- "That's the difference between us, I don't care if it's Azgeda or Skaikru. We need to kill Luna." -I looked at Sam- "I don't care why you're fighting for them or how you came to be in this position, I want someone to get the bunker even if it's not us."

\- "Luna's only advantage over the rest is her black blood but now I can survive the black rain too." –Sam simply answered- "I may have to consider thanking your mother for this, maybe we all should."

\- "We can't let Luna win this. We can't have just avoided a war for everyone to die anyway."

\- "Consider that my only mission down here, princess." –Sam squeezed my arm- "Now, leave. I got this."

**\-----------------------**

**BELLAMY'S POV**

I thought going into the Worgeda I'd get to see Sam to ask her what had happened, what was going on, but she was nowhere to be found once Kane and I made it there, looking for Octavia. We found her pacing a corner of the place, black war paint covering her face. Kane began quickly explaining what he had seen the other Champions doing, their weapons and weak spots but I couldn't help but think this was wrong.

\- "What is it, Bellamy?" –she faced me, her voice was agitated- "If you have something to say, just say it."

\- "You don't need any of that..." –I sighed and glued my eyes to hers- "When the starting horn blows, just stay out of sight and let the others thin the competition."

\- "You want me to hide?" –she sounded offended.

\- "You don't need to go up against the strongest warrior of each clan."

\- "I came here to fight."

\- "You were the girl under the floor. Use that, just like mom taught us."

\- "Bellamy's right." –Kane backed me up after a moment of silence- "You don't have to kill all 12 warriors."

\- "I just have to kill the last one." –she realized as she looked at me and nodded- "But, what about Sam? Why is she here? I thought Roan was fighting for Azgeda."

\- "We don't know." –Kane sighed- "But, if it comes to it..."

\- "I can't kill my sister!" -the despair in Octavia's voice made me feel miserable because I knew what she was feeling.

_Why are you doing this, Sam? Didn't it occur to you, you'd break Octavia's heart? And mine._ Nothing made sense.

\- "Only one warrior can make it out alive, Octavia. I'm sorry Samantha's one of them, but she's fighting for Azgeda, she won't hesitate to kill you."

Kane's words hurt me deeply, I knew Sam, I knew she'd never harm Octavia which is why I didn't see this going through. I was going to lose one of them today, if not both, and I couldn't do anything about it.

\- "Ambassadors and advisors, to the Tower." –one of the council's members came to us- "Champions, to your flags."

Kane approached Octavia and hugged her, wishing her good luck and taking a couple steps back to leave me some space with her.

\- "May we meet again." –she smiled approaching me.

\- "Damn right we will."

\- "I can't kill Sam, Bellamy." –her voice broke a bit- "Why is she here? I don't understand, she asked me to kill Roan and now..." -she looked behind me, her eyes never staying in one place for too long and I knew she was looking for her.

\- "I don't know, O. I don't know." -I sighed- "But I need you to focus on surviving, alright?"

\- "She has to have a plan, right? She wouldn't just go in there..."

\- "Her original plan was killing the competition while keeping save our Champion, allowing them to kill her once they were the only ones left."

\- "I won't." -she took a step back- "She has to know I won't do that."

\- "Roan wouldn't let her fight if that was still her plan, but I know she'd never hurt you." –I reassured her, even if I knew she knew- "Just focus on hiding and staying cover from the black rain, alright? I'm sure everything will be alright."

\- "Okay." -she took a deep breath before moving away.

I licked my lips and nodded at her retreating figure before taking a last look around the Worgeda, seeing Roan and Echo with their back to us. I couldn't help myself. I walked up to them as Kane left.

\- "What's the meaning of this?" –Roan spoke as soon as he saw me- "Leave my Champion alone."

\- "Why are you doing this, Sam?" -I pleaded- "What's your plan? I know you won't hurt Octavia and she won't kill you."

She was with her back to me, placing her blades on her new clothes, Azgeda's I assumed and, as she turned around, my heart clenched; she was wearing white paint on her face but the design was all too familiar, it was the same drawing Sheda used to paint her with only, this time, it was in white. I couldn't comprehend the reasoning behind this design but, to me, it was both beautiful and terrifying because it was a mix of what she had lost and what she was fighting for now. I wished Sheda was still here, maybe he would have managed to get some sense into her.

\- "You'll be glad once this is over..." -she eyed me- "Trust me."

\- "O is out there fighting against you!" –I tried to get to her but Roan pushed me back- "And Luna too! A Nightblood, Sam, a Nightblood! This is not like fighting Ulger, if the black rain falls and you aren't covered, you'll die or she'll easily kill you."

\- "Luna won't be a problem for us, Skaikru." –Echo's voice was laced with venom- "Jusheda will be victorious."

\- "Sam, I need to know..." –I stopped trying to fight Roan- "Am I losing you for good?"

\- "She doesn't belong to you." –Roan pushed me back once more- "Sam, leave to your post. We'll see you later."

\- "Ste klir." [Stay safe - good luck.]

Echo patted Sam's back and she nodded at her, looking at me one last time before leaving us three there without saying another word. I watched her leave, I wanted to scream, to run after her, I couldn't understand what was happening and the fact that Roan called her 'Sam' this time did nothing to ease my fears.

\- "Why is she fighting for you." –I confronted Roan as we left the Worgeda, entering the elevator to get to the throne room.

\- "Because I know she can win this. She might be the only one with an advantage to fight Luna and, if allowing her to fight means our people survive, then so, be it."

\- "An advantage?"

\- "You don't know?"

Echo questioned, an incredulous look on her face as she rested her back on the wall of the elevator; as I failed to answer she looked at Roan, a smile on her face before I turned my face to see him. He had a look on his face I couldn't quite decipher but I knew it was nothing good.

\- "Your ex-lover is the only one that can fight Luna in a fair fight." –he smiled at me before facing the opening doors as we got to the last level- "Sam is a Nightblood, Skaikru."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Constructive criticism is always welcome, thank you🍸


	19. The Final Fight.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Final Conclave. Y'all know the deal. Survive or die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a long one, fam. Hope you'll enjoy it🌻

******SAM'S POV**

Seeing Bellamy so distressed had been something close to heartbreaking, I thought out of everyone he'd have figured I did have a plan, and not a stupid one this time; Roan would have never allowed me to participate with my initial plan so we had devised a new one that'd satisfy us all and wouldn't kill us in the process nor started a whole war again. Hopefully. I approached my post seeing Azgeda's symbol on it. It felt weird, but I had to agree, cruel and vicious was something that did suit me lately, not that I minded, honestly. Someone had to do things around here and that person was me, apparently. I knew the plan half of the other clans had devised against me thanks to Echo and Roan which helped me plan a new strategy of my own to survive this without alliances because, the truth was, I could only trust myself down here and I wasn't going to drag Octavia onto it.

 _If I know Bellamy, he probably asked her to hide, especially knowing how close the black rain is._  And I trusted she would. I just needed her to stay alive until I got rid of the alliance against me. My weapons of choice had been too medium blades: two because I knew I'd had to deal with more than one Champion at a time and medium because I didn't have the time to lose stabbing them more than once.  _We got this._ I inhaled deeply.  _We've trained for this, we know how they move._ I let out a long exhale. I gulped and licked my lips just before I heard the horn that announced the beginning of the Final Conclave.  _Bunker, here we come._

**\------------------------**

**BELLAMY'S POV**

_A Nightblood._ I froze on the elevator as Echo and Roan left, smile on both their faces.  _That's insane, I've seen her bleed way too many times not to have noticed her blood being black._  I realized I should probably get out before the doors closed and so I did, running up to Roan and Echo.  _Why didn't she tell me? She doesn't trust me._

\- "How?"

\- "Does it matter?" –Roan eyed me.

\- "Is it tested?" –I pressed him- "If it's not, she could die in the rain."

Echo and Roan interchanged a look. It wasn't tested, she could die.  _Fuck, Sam, what's wrong with you!_  We got to the throne room, each clan had a post with a candle on it that was to be put out once their Champion died.

\- "Why did you let her fight for you? You know fully well she won't hurt my sister."

\- "You should leave with your people, Skaikru."

They both moved to their side, next to their light as I looked around for Kane, he was pacing back and forth from our post to the wall; I would have assumed he'd be able to hide his worries by now. Clearly not. Trikru's post was next to us, Indra just next to it.

\- "So, it's true." –she eyed me- "Samantha is fighting for the enemy."

\- "I'm sure she has a plan, Indra."

\- "To save you or all her people?"

I noticed exactly how she enunciated those words: she didn't mean 'you' as in Skaikru but me in particular, she didn't mean Azgeda either with 'her people' or else she'd have said 'clan', by 'people' she meant those of us she cared about. I was certain that included Indra, maybe not for how close Sam was to her but more so for O.  _Octavia._

\- "I must tell you." –Indra moved closer to me and whispered- "There's an Alliance to take down Azgeda first."

\- "What! How many?"

\- "6 Champions." –I tried to keep calm, that was basically half the contestants going after Sam, not to count Luna who'd be dying to kill whoever stood in her way- "Samantha wasn't supposed to be there, I'm sorry."

\- "How do you know about this?"

\- "Because I started it."

The horn sounded proclaiming the beginning of the Final Conclave. I gulped as I looked at the balcony.  _Whatever you're planning Sam, just keep O and yourself alive. I can't lose either of you, not again._

**\----------------------**

**OCTAVIA'S POV**

I moved to my post after talking to Kane and Bellamy, deciding it was best to follow their instructions until I saw Sam; surely, she'd have a plan. As the horn was all the noise I could hear, I braced myself for what was to come. I started moving around the city, moving low and staying hidden as much as I could. I heard the clash of swords so I moved in the other direction, towards a small street; bad choice, another Champion was there and, as soon as he saw, he started running after me. I had to hide. I ran through small corridors trying to lose him, throwing stuff on his way and finally having enough advantage to hide under a fallen metallic structure over which he jumped. I stood there, waiting, until I heard him jump down screaming; there was a small hole at the other side of where I was hiding, so I moved closer, seeing my persecutor and Luna.  _That was close._

**\-----------------------**

**BELLAMY'S POV**

It was luck I had been carrying all this time a small monocular with me that I intended to put to good use as the time passed and nothing happened but, just as I was about to move to the balcony, Gaia came back, announcing the first fallen. I clenched my jaw and my fists so hard I left a mark, but I didn't care. Gaia didn't look around as one of the councilmen passed her by coming to our row.  _No._

\- "The first Champion has fallen."

\- "Please, don't be her." –I whispered as the man got closer.

\- "Strei kom Sangedakru." –I closed my eyes and breathed relieved as the clan's light was extinguished- "Yu gonplei ste odon."

**\-----------------**

**SAM'S POV**

_I mean, how hard can it be really?_ I started walking around Polis, keeping all my senses alert to detect the minimum disturbance that could indicate that someone else was there.  _I killed Roan's four men. This is just two more._ I heard voices.  _Yeah, the only problem these are the actual best warriors of their clans, not mere soldiers._  Roan's voice sounded in my head.  _Divide them._ And then mine _. Oh, yeah, and how am I supposed to do that, huh?_ And back and forth. _Improvise. Yeah, that's great advice, thanks, Roan._ Now that I was in the terrain, I wondered...  _my bow. Fuck, where did I leave it?_ I needed a second to think, so I entered one of the houses.  _I brought it with me when we came back and we discovered the alliance with Trikru. Did I leave it in the tower?_ I heard footsteps outside.  _Fuck. It's at Sheda's. I won't make it._ I took a deep breath.  _Fine, I'll improvise. What's the worst that could happen?_

The house had a second floor, so I moved upstairs, getting a view of the street and seeing the group of people looking for me actually coming my way.  _Divide and conquer._ I smiled to myself.  _I might not be able to fight six at once but three seems like a reasonable amount._ I had an idea, it was risky and most probably not fair game but if anyone cared, they wouldn't live to protest. I looked around the house, finding a small blade and, once I did, I took my sigil and cut my arm slightly, covering it in my blood.  _Let's see how many bite this._ I checked before I moved outside, throwing my sigil where I knew they'd find it and leaving a bloody handprint insinuating I had left that way and the blade on the ground.  _I'm sure they won't risk all checking my trace. Hopefully, that'll buy me a couple minutes to take out whoever stays back._ I moved back to the house and waited; they walked past me, not even bothering to check the houses nor the windows which was a stupid move, they were too worried about my sigil on the floor.

\- "Em ste stedaunon!" –one of them picked it up shouting. [She's dead]

\- "Hir." –a brighter one had moved to the end of the street, finding my bloody handprint and yelling at the rest- "Es ste nou." [Here. She's not.]

They got together on the further end of the street, so I couldn't hear what they were saying but I could still see them from the upper floor's window; it looked like they were having a heated argument until three of them left through the next street, leaving another three there.  _Alright. Showtime, Jusheda._  I allowed them to walk past the door of the house I was in as they kept moving together, something I still failed to comprehend.  _Maybe because of Luna. No, definitively because of Luna._

\- "The fight just started," –I moved outside, startling them; I didn't recognize them or their clan in the distance, but that didn't matter now- "did you seriously expect me to be dead that early in the game." –I shook my head- "Offensive."

\- "You die here, Jusheda."

The woman pointed her sword at me as both men laughed. I realized she had a bow and quiver with her, which she left on the floor behind her.  _I'm going to need those._

\- "Mebi nodotaim." [Maybe another time]

The woman was the first to approach me, for the street wasn't big enough for the three of them to get at me without hitting each other.  _This is an advantage I didn't plan, but I'll take it._  She rose her sword towards my face but I easily stopped her with my right blade as I moved my left towards her, stabbing her in the abdomen before kicking her back. The men had to move not to run into her as she fell to the ground; they looked at each other and decided to come at me at the same time, raising their swords and one of them his shield that was basically a piece of metal he must have taken from one of the side alleys.  _Now that's clever usage of the city props._ They moved their swords at the same time, forcing me to jump back as I realized they had to measure their movements not to be too wide or they'd crash. For a moment, I stopped thinking, only focusing on the fight ahead, but it was getting us nowhere. I had to force them to lose the shield. As I managed to push them back, I ran back and entered the house as they screamed coward at me.  _A coward._ I scoffed to myself in my mind. _I'm just forcing you to come to me again._ I got to the upper level, jumping onto the rooftop of the next house and turned to look at them. They laughed, thinking I was stuck.

\- "So much for the mighty Jusheda."

\- "At least you've heard of me." –I rose and eyebrow mockingly- "I don't even know who you are."

That seemed to anger them and, as we all know, angry people make bad decisions most of the time. Exhibit A: the first one ran up to me, clearly not calculating his impulse as he fell from the rooftop to the street once I moved away. I shouldn't have laughed but, the truth is, I did.

\- "You won't laugh once that's you down there."

\- "Try me."

He run up to me, he had two swords now, I assumed she took the woman's one. His swords clashed with mine; he jumped, trying to cut my face but I stopped his sword with both of mine, pushing him back. We moved in circles for a moment, catching our breaths before he came at me again, I managed to cut his face but he kicked me on the abdomen forcing me to take a couple steps back, losing one of my blades as my feet stood on the border of the rooftop.

\- "Last words?"

\- "See you in hell."

He ran up to me, wielding his sword now as if it were a dagger, moving it to my heart but I yielded it with my arm, pushing him to the side forcing him with my body to let go of the weapon before I turned completely around and elbowed his head; the red blood starting to drip but he didn't hesitate to come back at me, he rose his sword with his left hand, I counter it with mine and pushed both our swords to the side, moving my free hand to his shoulder to force him down and kneeling him with all my strength on his abdomen but he didn't let go, so I repeated my movement until he started coughing blood. He pushed me back but I was ready, once he rose his sword I got down and slashed him across the stomach; he fell to his knees and I ended him, slitting his throat.

\- "Yu gonplei ste odon."

I whispered as I took his sigil, quickly moving back to collect the other two.  _Three down, three to go. Then the rest. And to find mine and my sister._

**\-----------------------**

**BELLAMY'S POV**

I had gone outside a couple times, trying to check if I could see Sam or O, but I didn't; it was as if they both had simply vanished.  _Maybe that's for the best._  I did see, however, the group of people Indra had mentioned; they were roaming around the city completely unbothered by anything else, they probably thought that, even if they encountered Luna, in between the six of them, they could kill her. I wished they did. I moved inside as Gaia stood there. It had been a couple hours since the first death; I had imagined the first minutes would be the bloodiest ones, but I had been wrong.

\- "Anything?" –Kane asked me as soon as I moved to sit behind our post.

\- "Nothing." –I shook my head- "On any of them."

\- "Bellamy..." –Kane sighed- "You should be looking out for your sister."

\- "Sam is my family, I don't care if she's fighting for Azgeda."

\- "If it comes down to it, one of them will have to die." –he patted my back- "I'm sorry, son."

I rubbed my forehead, not even wanting to think of that, not wanting to think of whose death would affect me the most.  _Nothing makes sense._ I rose my eyes, looking at Echo and Roan who seemed to be engaged in their own heavy discussion.  _It makes no sense._

\- "The three next Champions have fallen."

 _Here we go again._ I rose from my seat, watching with a heavy heart as the man approached the candles.

\- "Resnak kom Yujleda. Yu gonplei ste odon."

_Come on, girls._

\- "Guara kom Podakru. Yu gonplei ste odon."

 _One more, come on._ The man walked past our post and relief filled my heart until I realized where he was going and I felt like I couldn't breathe again.  _No, Sam, no._ Roan and Echo looked calm still and that almost infuriated me.

\- "Gael kom Ingranronakru. Yu gonplei ste odon."

I closed my eyes as a loud exhale left my lips.  _That was too close._  As I opened them again, I landed them on Roan, who simply nodded at me with a satisfied smile on his face.  _He knows something I don't._ He then moved on to talk with Echo and I moved after them.

\- "What do you want Skaikru."

\- "You know something about what Sam's doing that I don't."

\- "She's doing what she does best." –Echo mocked me- "Getting rid of the extra weight."

\- "What is that supposed to mean?" –I eyed them- "You think Sam killed those three?"

\- "You've seen her fight, you've seen her kill. Judge for yourself."

**\-----------------**

**SAM'S POV**

It was starting to get dark, and I wasn't sure where the hell the rest were.  _Did they all die? Where is Octavia?_  I felt like screaming her name, but I knew I shouldn't. I moved down an alley, seeing a pair of boots on the floor. I took out one arrow and placed it on the bow I had taken, pointing it at the figure as I slowly moved up to it. I recognized the Champion.  _Ilian._  I looked around, trying to see any signs of Octavia having been there; I figured if she'd ally with anyone it'd be him.

\- "Yu gonplei ste odon."

I didn't know him well at all but I knew he had left after Octavia and, seeing him there and how Octavia reacted when he stood to fight for his clan in this Conclave, I knew something was up. I landed eyes on his wound again.  _An arrow._ That didn't make sense, that was off; the only one with a bow was the woman I took it from, she had been dead for way too long and she was not missing any arrows when I took the quiver. I looked around me.  _Something's wrong, someone's not playing by the rules._

\- "Bilaik Jusheda!"

I turned in time to see two out of the three missing Champions from the initial alliance.  _Fuck this shit. I'm done._

\- "Announcing yourselves?" –I shot an arrow at one of them- "Dumb move."

The arrow hit him on the leg, making it impossible for him to move for some reason.  _I'm not complaining._  It was good he couldn't come at me though, for the other guy was bigger than Roan and he had no other weapon but a long, spiky, sharpened, weird hammer.  _He could probably smash my head with that thing, fuck._   _He's big, sure, but he's slow. We got this._  He rose his weapon, it felt almost like slow motion before it hit the floor next to me as I jumped away just in time.  _Now, that was too close. I need height._  I quickly glanced around me as he rose it again.  _Alright._  I jumped away just in time once more, running backward as I shot an arrow at him that hit him in the upper arm.  _I told you, slow._ I put the bow down, picking my sword as he approached me again. Only this time, he knew I'd jump back, so he moved the pointy hammer horizontally and I had to drop to the ground not to get my neck sliced, but that was fine as I could now stab his leg as he swung the weapon back. He yelled in pain, which I didn't expect, and he fell to his knees, the hammer heavily falling next to me as he lost strength.  _My chance_. I rose up and jumped over a box as he rose his head, trying to move the hammer back up. I jumped from the box, an arrow on my bow and shot him, piercing him through his open mouth and downward. I fell behind him, seeing him let go of the hammer, moving his hands to his neck as he died.  _One to go._

I tore his sigil from his neck, finding another one.  _Please, no._ I took a deep breath as I turned it around, finding the Delfikru symbol. I breathed relieved. I turned around, hearing footsteps behind me and immediately wrapping my hand around the handle of my blade.

\- "I was hoping you wouldn't notice."

\- "Lincoln taught me well."

\- "I see you have quite the collection there." –Fio pointed at my neck- "I took Mezi's."

\- "I'll get it back, it's fine. Thank you for picking it up for me."

\- "Let's see what Azgeda has taught you."

**\------------------**

**KANE'S POV**

Bellamy had insisted there was an extra player on the ground and he was decided to get down to check it, especially since Echo was nowhere to be found. I couldn't allow him, that was against the rules and could get us all killed but he didn't stall so I had to agree to let him go as the sun set. The death of four more warriors was announced just as Bellamy left with the sun setting: Delfikru, Ouskejon Kru, Trishanakru and Sangedakru. I looked around the room, the faces of those whose Champions had fallen had all one thing in common: despair. I kept pacing the room, waiting for Bellamy to come back and for more Champions to fall, praying Octavia would be the last one standing. The competition was thinning and the best remained.

\- "Three more Champions have fallen." –the ceremony started once again- "Boldak kom Boudalankru. Yu gonplei ste odon." –one candle less- "Mezi kom Louwoda Kliron Kru. Yu gonplei ste odon." –I took a final deep breath as the man approached us- "And Fio kom Trikru. Yu gonplei ste odon."

I looked at Indra, who gulped as she heard the name of her Champion. Gaia quickly moved after her and hugged her.  _Three clans left: Floukru, Azgeda, and Skaikru. The strongest until the end._ Roan stood on the opposite side, he was calm and had been for the whole ceremony since the Conclave started. I knew Samantha could win this for him, but I hoped Luna would get her out of the game and that Octavia managed to kill her; it was the only way we'd win. Octavia would never harm Samantha but, not knowing what Roan's plan was, I had doubts regarding the opposite scenario. Echo showed up out of nowhere but Bellamy was nowhere to be seen.  _Maybe she came back before he could catch her._  A bolt of lightning illuminated the whole room as it started to rain, everyone in the balconies rushing inside before they got wet.  _It's here._

**\------------------**

**SAM'S POV**

It didn't particularly please me to fight Fio but, with everything I had learned from Ion and especially from Sheda, it wasn't difficult; adding the skills I had acquired from Azgeda, I almost felt bad. Almost because I didn't like Fio much since he fought Octavia all those months ago, he had been an asshole most of the time; I only felt bad killing him because I liked Indra, but I was going to make sure she survived Praimfaya too, alongside with Lila, of course. I took the sigils from him as he was carrying two: his and mine. I counted how many I had. 7 _, the alliance has fallen. And mine, so that's 8._  I assumed Octavia had Ilian's so that made 10. Luna was probably still alive, so that made 11. 2 _clans to go, then_. I kept walking around the city, finding the bodies of the last 2 Champions.  _So that's Luna, Octavia and me. I have to find O or hopefully even find Luna before she gets to Octavia._

 _This city didn't need to be this big._ I stopped walking for a second, tightening the white strings of the black corset I was wearing over my black shirt that Roan had given me in order to keep Jackson's work as untouched as possible.  _He'll hear me if I die because of his stab._  I was getting bored and starting to consider yelling for Luna when I heard someone running; I had almost reached a plaza and there I found Octavia at one side of the fountain and Luna at the other. I started to walk towards them when a bolt of lightning illuminated everything, Octavia looked at the sky and run inside the nearest house.

\- "Hey!" –I yelled at Luna before she could so much as to even think of following Octavia inside- "You're forgetting about me."

\- "I hoped you'd be dead by now." -she turned to face me.

\- "Touché."

**\----------------------**

**OCTAVIA'S POV**

I wasn't sure how it happened but I had come across Luna in one of the plazas; the first thing I did was look at her neck, she was carrying three sigils.

\- "It's not Azgeda's." -Luna smiled darkly as she read my thoughts- "But I'll get that one too."

I moved around the fountain, we could have been like that all night until someone else showed up but that didn't happen, what did arrive was the black rain; I knew my only option was getting inside a house, even if Luna followed me. I had to try. I ran to the nearest house, throwing the door open when I heard her. Sam, she was alive; her hair in a braid falling down her back, the white fur on her shoulders covering the protections was almost completely red, and we war paint was white and black. She stood there, throwing her bow to the floor and the quiver before reaching for her two swords, decided to face Luna on her own. I wanted to yell at her, tell her to run for the black rain was starting to fall but she didn't scream in pain, he didn't fall to the floor as the water burned her skin.  _How? Impossible._

They didn't waste more time talking as I looked at them, my hand white as I clenched my fingers around the handle of my sword, following their every move, praying to whoever was listening that my sister would be victorious.

**\----------------**

**SAM'S POV**

I took both my swords and approached her, they clashed and clashed but never ripped skin. The rain became heavier, puddles forming around us, making it harder to stay still.

\- "Give up, you're never going to win me."

\- "Ugh, shut up."

I took the initiative this time forcing her to move back a couple steps, weapons clashing until we ended up in a tie again, our swords forcing the other's away from their body and that's when I saw it; with all the care and attention I could, I rose one of my legs and hit her in the abdomen, she took a couple steps backward, one of her swords falling next to me as I had it trapped.

\- "Azgeda."

\- "No, that was you underestimating me."

She yelled as she moved to me, she might have had only one sword but it didn't matter, I couldn't touch her and it was infuriating, but I knew I had to keep calm. We knew angry people made bad decisions. I managed to cut her side but, at the same time, she cut my left arm, my hand opening immediately, my sword falling on the mud.

\- "It's over."

She stroke again, so much anger, so much fury... she was decided to kill the whole human race and I couldn't let her. As we moved in circle, I saw Octavia still at the door, her sword long gone, replaced with a spear, she mouthed something, but I didn't catch it as I felt the cold touch of metal caressing my side, Luna's fist then on my nose and I fell to the floor, my sword too far to pick it up.

\- "You're weak, you lack focus."

\- "You're pissing me off."

\- "Good."

She strode towards me before I could raise, her sword landing next to my head as I rolled around, kicking her in the ankle; she fell to the ground next to me, her sword in a puddle. I felt warmness on my stomach and I figured Jackson's stitches had finally broken.  _They resisted longer than we all expected. He did a great job._ I grunted annoyed more so than in pain.  _I'm not dying like this._ I jumped over Luna, my fists colliding with her nose and jaw before she managed to hit me in the stomach, forcing me on my back, trying to strangle me but I quickly punched her were I had slashed her skin and the pressure on my neck softened long enough for me to breath and strike back, moving my head up and hitting hers. She moved back up, moving her hand to her forehead, seeing the blood before moving back to take her sword and so did I, doubling slightly in pain.  _We got this._

\- "You can't seriously think you can win me. No matter who trained you, you're not one of us."

\- "I don't need to."

We started fighting again, mud covering us, rain falling down and both bleeding from different places. She moved her sword upward, like she was trying to slide me in two so I moved back, my feet on a puddle, slipping and I fell on my back. Luna pointed her sword at me.

\- "My blood didn't help you at all here."

\- "It did." –I smiled, I still had my sword in hand so I moved it up, stabbing her leg and she fell to her knees beside me- "I'm not dying today."

\- "You'll go down with me."

She rose her sword, ready to pierce my heart when a spear flew directly to her chest, completely trespassing her body. She rose a trembling hand to her front wound as she looked at me. I'll never forget her face, she looked startled, of course, but also haunted. Blood started pouring out of her mouth as I approached her, taking her in my arms as we both fell to the ground. I didn't like who she had become, but the Luna I first met? I had aspired to be like that someday, to end the fight, to move on and just live, but that just wasn't how it was meant to go.

\- "You can rest now, Luna." –I caressed her face.

\- "I hope you'll find your peace, Samantha."

\- "It's too late for that." –I tried to smile- "But I'll try." –I squeezed her hand- "Kom woda so gyon op, gon woda so kom daun. Say hi to the ones I've lost for me." [From water we are born, to water we return.]

I saw the life leave her body and it suddenly felt as if I were carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders; I closed her eyes and looked up, taking a deep breath. I had killed people before, Grounders, people from the Mountain, guards... but this was the first time I truly wished I hadn't. I knew I had to do it, it was the only way to keep Octavia and the rest alive but it didn't necessarily mean I wanted to do it. I knew Luna had changed but, as she died in my arms, all I could see was the peaceful, solidary and kind woman I had met all those months ago. If she had changed to this maybe she could have gone back and, even if she couldn't, it was our fault she turned this way, back to the Grounder's hostile ways. I shook my head.  _I can't afford to think like this now, we have to end this._  I took the three sigils she had and placed them around my neck with the rest before I left her body on the floor. I held my abdomen as I rose, looking to the door of the house in front of me, seeing Octavia's worried look. I walked slowly up to her.

\- "That was a good throw."

\- "I've been practicing."

\- "You fought well, O." –she approached me to hug me but I stopped her- "I'm covered in black rain, it'll burn your skin."

She looked at me up and down, her eyes landing on my stomach so she prompted me to enter the house. I sat in one of the chairs in the room as she looked around the house for something I could use to stop the bleeding, I supposed. We remained in silence for a while before she spoke again from another room.

\- "How...?" -she didn't have to finish, I knew what she meant.

\- "Let's just say the lab became Mount Weather number 2." -she gave an unconvinced look- "It didn't hurt and I'm fine."

\- "What do we do now?" -she sighed- "I'm not going to kill you, Sam."

\- "I appreciate that." –I chuckled, raising up and approaching her- "Take this." –I placed Luna's sigil and all the ones I had on the table in front of her, including mine- "Go up there and do what you know it's right."

\- "But..."

\- "I'm right behind you." –I squeezed her shoulder and smiled.

\- "You think they'll accept this?" –she eyed me, taking them all- "Two Champions uniting all the clans?"

\- "They don't want to die; you offer them an out, they'll take it."

\- "Does Roan know?"

\- "Yeah, I made the deal with him last night. I was going to meet you to teach you the basics of how Azgeda fights but I ran onto him and Echo and the rest is history."

\- "Thank you."

\- "For what?"

\- "Having my back out there." –she smiled- "And in general."

\- "You are the one who had my back, you killed Luna, not me."

\- "She was distracted, I was just trying to help my sister."

\- "I wouldn't have pulled it out without you." -I squeezed her shoulder now that my hands were dry- "I'm so proud of you."

\- "We're a good team."

\- "And you still think those idiots up there would dare going up against Skairipa and Jusheda?" –I laughed- "I'd like to see them try."

\- "I'll rather not."

\- "Let's go, I bet your brother is running up the walls by now wondering what happened to you."

**\--------------**

**3rd POV**

The doors to the throne room open, revealing two figures covered in blood and one of them also covered in rain. Murmurs raise as the sisters enter the room side by side but no one dares raising their voice at them as they approach Gaia, Octavia handing her all the sigils before Samantha sits on the throne and Octavia approaches her, standing next to her.

\- "Your Champions have all fallen, including Luna kom Floukru who fought for all of us to die." –Samantha addresses the crowd first- "We will not kill each other when there's a solution I'm sure you will all like to hear now that your lives are in our hands."

\- "The bunker can hold up to 1200 people." –Octavia continues- "It's clear none of you will take it for your own clan alone. We have a proposition for the heads of the remaining 10 clans." –the sisters look around and slowly, each head of clan nods, prompting them to continue- "Not one clan survives, but all do." –Octavia states, leaving a couple moments for her words to settle in- "A 100 people from each clan, chosen by you to survive the end of this world and raise with the new."

Octavia places her hand on Samantha's shoulder as the heads of clan murmur in between them and with their advisors; Samantha crosses glances with Roan who nods slightly, having known what the plan really was all along, deciding it was better to save a 100 of his people like this than risk them all dying for his pride.

\- "So, we ask..." –Octavia reclaims their attention- "Will you share the bunker equally?

\- "Or will you burn?" –Samantha’s eyes wonder the room threateningly- "We know it's not the most traditional ending for a Conclave but I'm sure, seeing only we're still here, for you it's either burning tomorrow or agreeing with us now."

Indra is the first one to agree to those terms, looking proudly at Octavia who feels her heart slightly lighter knowing they've done it. Slowly but surely, all the other clans agree and everything seems settled until someone starts yelling at the back of the room.

\- "This is a mock of our traditions!"

\- "So you choose death?" –Samantha doesn't even look bothered, resting her head on her palm- "Fine with us."

She moves her gaze until it lands on Echo, who nods and easily kills the man with an arrow.

\- "Would anyone else like to question my sister and I's decisions?" –Samantha looks around, her gaze is confident, almost daring them to oppose them as she encounters the eyes of everyone else in the room- "Good. 100 people for clan, choose wisely. Go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Constructive criticism is always welcome, thank you🍸


	20. The three of us or no one.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once the Conclave’s won, the bunker should receive the winners; unless it has been stolen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can y’all believe we are almost at 100 chapter in this series and at the end of s4? I’m shook. Thank you to everyone in this site that decided to take a chance on my writing, for the lovely messages and the endless support; I appreciate every single one of you SO much🌹

**SAM'S POV**

Everyone started leaving the room as I sank on the throne, I had taken quite a couple hits and I needed to see Jackson before I actually bleed out. Kane, Roan, Echo, and Indra chose to stay, Indra being the first to walk up to us, nodding at me before she addressed Octavia.

\- "Lincoln would be so proud of you."

I smiled as they hugged, nodding my head as I knew what Indra's words meant to Octavia.

\- "I apologize for doubting you." –she stood in front of me.

\- "It's fine, Indra." –I straightened my back, feeling the pain hit all my nervous ends- "I just ask Lila is among your chosen ones."

\- "She will be."

I watched Indra go as Kane approached us now, my eyes landing on Roan and Echo as she nodded her head and left, I assumed they were deciding who would live from their clan.

\- "100 of our people?" –Kane sighed as he looked at Octavia.

\- "It's Unity Day, Kane."

\- "Yeah, lighten up." –I added and he landed eyes on me.

\- "You've killed 400 of our people." -his voice became harsh.

\- "I can live with that." –I scoffed- "You should be thankful a 100 are surviving instead of none, I remind you Luna was down there."

\- "Still, you could have..."

I didn't need him to finish his sentence as he moved his gaze to the floor, Octavia quickly protesting but I stopped her, taking her hand in mine and pulling her to stay back.

\- "Would you have rather I had died down there? Killed myself so that the bunker would be only for Skaikru?" –I scoffed, tilting my head- "I'm prompt to sacrificing myself, but not for the people who don't deserve it. Besides, your idea would have gotten Roan and Indra killed among others I actually like."

\- "Our people will die because of your choice!" –he rose his voice at me.

\- "My people have been dying because of your choices!" –I practically jumped from my seat, Kane taking a couple steps back as I startled him- "Because of Jaha's and Abbie's and even Clarke and Bellamy have been making dumb choices since we fucking landed on this stupid planet! Kids died when you sent us to the Ground because you were cowards to send an actually prepared team to do it for yourselves. Oreth died because of Clarke's choice back in TonDC. People died because you decided to take Pike and his sheep in and Bellamy chose to endorse them! Lincoln is dead because of you! Ion is dead because of you! Fuck! Sheda is dead because of Jaha! I had to kill Luna because you 'adults' made her a monster! Those Champions died today because you, 'adults'..." –I practically spat the word at him this time- "...can't make choices." –I had forced him to walk backward as I moved down the couple steps that elevated the throne from the rest of the room, trapping him against a wall- "But fear no more, we make this call, you're welcome." –I took a step back- "We dirt our hands so you don't have to. I'm sure you'll manage to make the cut, but remember, someone is dying for you to live."

I felt so much rage, my breathing had accelerated and I had my fists clenched at my sides; the adrenaline running through my veins almost made me forget about my bleeding abdomen, that is, until I took a step back and my legs failed me, not hitting the ground for Roan managed to catch me just in time.

\- "You're bleeding."

\- "You don't say." –I held onto his arm- "I need to see Jackson."

\- "We'll get you to him." –Octavia squeezed my arm as she walked past me towards Kane- "Where's my brother? I didn't see him when we came in, didn't he come back?"

\- "Come back from where?" –I questioned as Roan and I made our way to them, him holding me up by my waist.

\- "He went down to the city earlier."

\- "What?"

\- "Echo was down there too." –Octavia looked at me and I furrowed my eyebrows- "She was thinning the competition." –and then, I understood.

\- "Ilian." –I whispered under my breath, Octavia nodded- "I... I'm sorry, I swear I didn't know she was there." –I pushed Roan away from me, almost losing my balance and ending on the floor if it weren't for Octavia's quick reflexes- "You! You broke the rules! You didn't trust I could win this?"

\- "I had nothing to do with it." –he gave me an apologetic look.

\- "Prove it." –I hit him on the chest with my finger- "Or burn."

\- "Sam, he didn't know." –Octavia's voice was calm- "I heard her talking with Bellamy; he confronted her and she argued she was just trying to help her people, even if that meant going behind his back."

\- "Fine." –I looked at Roan- "Do something about it or you'll burn with her."

**\-----------------------**

**BELLAMY'S POV**

I had gone to the ground to check if my gut had been right.  _Of course, I was._  I found Echo and confronted her, forcing her to move back to the Tower; I stood back for a couple minutes, waiting to see if I could catch a glimpse of Octavia or Sam, but I didn't. I moved back in the shadows and was almost at the Tower when someone pulled me back, putting a bag on my head and knocking me out. When I woke up, the first thing I saw was Jaha and Clarke looking over some papers on a table.  _No._

\- "What the hell did you do?"

\- "If only one clan could survive, it might as well be ours."

\- "Clarke, you agreed to this?" –I was furious, I couldn't believe she'd come that far.

\- "It was her idea."

\- "We did what we had to do."

She didn't even regret it.  _Of course, why would she? Her mom is surely down here._

\- "How could you do this?" –I yelled at them- "There were only four Champions left. Octavia and Sam were there!"

\- "And they might have died, Luna was there too." –Jaha rose his head to look at me- "And even if they managed to kill her, what makes you think Samantha wouldn't kill Octavia?"

\- "Are you listening to yourself?" –my jaw trembled, I felt the tears in my eyes- "They'd never hurt each other."

\- "Bellamy, only one Champion could make it out of there."

\- "No, no." –I shook my head.

\- "Bellamy, I understand you believe in them, and they might have had a chance but Luna was still there..." –Clarke took a step towards me- "The possibility of no one getting the bunker was great. Of the end of the human race! Can't you understand that?"

\- "Yeah, I understand you did what you thought you had to do like you always do!" –I reproached her harshly- "But you can't expect me to stay down here not knowing what happened to my family."

\- "What if Samantha won the bunker for Azgeda, she'd kick you out too."

\- "Stop talking about Sam like you know shit about her!" –I approached him, I'd knock him out if I had to- "Sam is my family and I won't stand here as you try to demonize her."

\- "We're not opening that door!" –Jaha yelled at me.

\- "I must have missed the election that made you Chancellor again."

The door behind me opened, not allowing Jaha to reproach me anything else, revealing Abbie.

\- "I was setting up the infirmary and I heard people in the corridor." –she turned around, looking at the three of us- "Is it over? Did we win?"

\- "We don't know." –I answered her, letting my arms fall at the sides of my body.

\- "Where's Marcus?"

\- "He was in the Tower, we sent some people for him, Bellamy and Octavia." –he looked at me as if that was supposed to make it okay- "Bellamy was the only one we could get in time. I'm sorry."

\- "Give me your radio." –Abbie demanded- "Marcus has his."

\- "The walkies are no good down here."

Clarke moved back behind the table, pressing a button that revealed a secret compartment.

\- "Clarke?" –Jaha asked but his tone was more reproaching than anything else.

\- "I'm letting them say goodbye."

Abbie and I quickly moved to the radio as Jaha tried to convince us not to, saying that'd be more painful, but I wasn't listening, I didn't care for a word he said.

\- "The radiation levels are already critical." –that sparked my attention- "That means people up there are already feeling the effects. Once they realize we took the bunker, it'll be chaos and, if we open that door, we let that chaos inside."

\- "I understand." –Abbie's tone was cocky and I couldn't help but smile- "Now, get the hell out of my way."

I started the radio, setting the frequency to that of the walkies, trying to hear anything, whatever it was.

\- "Can anyone hear me? Over." –my heart stopped beating for a second as I heard my sister's voice at the other end- "This is Octavia, can anyone hear me, damn it?"

\- "O!" –I answered her immediately- "It's me, are you okay? What happened?"

\- "I'm alive." –her voice was hard- "I won."

Octavia had won. I looked around me, seeing the surprise in the faces of everyone there.  _Sam._

\- "Bell, what the hell did you do?"

\- "It wasn't me, but I'll fix it." –my mind was going a mile per hour- "What... Sam?"

\- "Bellamy, I need you to listen to me, we don't have much time." –her urgent tone worried me- "When we won, we made a deal with the other clans, to share the bunker equally, a 100 people for clan. Kane is buying us some time helping them select their people and Gaia somehow convinced the scouts to lock down the temple but, if anyone finds Skaikru stole the bunker, we're all dead."

\- "Copy that, I'm on my way."

\- "I'm also going to need Jackson." –she spoke- "Hurry."

I was about to ask who needed medical assistance when Jaha came back inside with a bunch of guards, I hadn't even realized he was gone.

\- "Turn off the radio."

\- "Thelonious, we can save them!"

\- "O, I'm gonna need some time."

Octavia answered on the radio but Jaha quickly turned it off, not allowing me to hear everything she was saying.

\- "Did you hear her!" –I exploded- "The Grounders are listening to her now but they won't be for much longer! I'm opening that door."

\- "I'm sorry." –he placed a hand in front of me- "But right now, our people are safe."

\- "No, my family is outside and I'm getting them inside." –then I realized Sam had to be dead- "I'm getting my sister back."

\- "I can't let you do that."

\- "To stop me, you're gonna have to kill me."

The guards surrounded me, but I fought them back; I had to get to my sister, I had to find out what exactly had happened and I needed her by my side. I was opening the door of the room we were in when someone stroke me with a shock baton, the pain filled my body and soon, it all went black.  _No, no._

**\----------------**

**SAM'S POV**

I decided to leave Octavia deal with the Grounders and the bunker situation for Kane was sure Jaha had taken it for Skaikru and that's why we couldn't find anyone out there; I advised her not to say anything about me, knowing the only way Jaha would open the bunker was if he thought Octavia had won. Meanwhile, I moved back to Sheda's house to find my bow and a couple of things for Lila.  _5 years is going to be a long time for her down there._

\- "Out of all the things you could be doing with your blood, you decide to let it spill."

\- "Why exactly did you follow me, Roan?" –I turned to look at him annoyed- "The rain could come back any second and you'd die."

\- "I have to make sure my Queen makes it back in one piece."

\- "Ugh." –I rolled my eyes and shook my head as I used a couple bandages to press my wound, I knew it could take some time before I could get a hold of Jackson- "This is your fault." –I grunted exasperated.

\- "I apologize."

\- "Your apology is worth absolutely nothing if I die from this."

\- "Then, let's make sure you don't."

\- "I'll take any suggestions."

He took out a small blade and moved around the room, then exiting towards the kitchen and I suddenly smelled like burnt.  _So, we're back to cauterizing, great, my favorite thing to do._

\- "Show me the wound." –I rose my shirt as I had already taken out the corset- "This will hurt."

\- "Listen, Roan, this is not the first time I get..."

Before I could finish my sentence, he forced me against the wall, keeping me still as he pressed the hot blade to my abdomen; a loud 'fuck' escaping my lips as he did, I dug my nails on his arm and clenched my jaw.

\- "You were saying?" –he smirked at me as he moved the knife away, looking at his arm- "Did you have to do this?"

\- "That's what happens when you burn my skin without asking." –I mocked him, looking down at my stomach- "Ugh, what's it with everyone always cutting me on the same place."

\- "That scar?"

\- "Indra's." –I pulled down my shirt, putting the corset over it this time- "We're good now." –I took my bow and quiver and the bag I had packed- "Let's go before the weather kills you."

\- "After you."

\- "I'm going to have to break your jaw if you insist on being this annoying."

\- "You can try."

\- "Great to know I have a plan for the next five years of my life."

With the wound now cauterized, it became much easier to move around, I hated to admit it, but Roan had had a good idea for once in his lifetime.

**\---------------------**

**OCTAVIA'S POV**

I remained at the bunker's door with Indra, Sam having left to pick up a few things before we entered. I assumed Roan went after her, making me realize he might have actually cared about her safety. Indra and I were waiting for Bellamy to open the door so that we could get in but, as time passed, Indra grew impatient.

\- "They've made their choice, Octavia." –she finally spoke again as she took care of one of my wounds- "We have to find another way in."

\- "There is no other way, this one stayed hidden for 100 years."

\- "Then we should break it open."

\- "Then it won't protect anyone." –I sighed- "Bellamy will find a way."

\- "When the clans come and they find out what your people did..."

\- "They stole the bunker!" –I faced her- "They are not my people anymore."

\- "I wondered why Kane was stalling." –Echo made herself known as she showed up from the shadows- "Skaikru dishonors us all, yet again."

\- "And you dishonored your clan when you broke the rules." –Sam came through the door, followed by Roan- "We know you were in the battlefield."

\- "Jusheda."

\- "Is this true?" –Indra asked me as Echo's guilty eyes landed on her.

\- "If the scouts check Ilian's... the body of the Trishanakru Champion, they'll find Azgeda arrows."

\- "And Samantha did not go in with a bow."

\- "Explain yourself."

\- "My King..." –Echo stood in front of him but leaving a decent amount of space in between them- "I was just trying to help save our people."

\- "Jusheda is not my mother and neither am I." –Roan approached her- "We are not willing to cast aside honor for power."

\- "And, no offense, but I've done just fine on my own." –Sam had sat now behind me, eyes closed.

\- "I was just..."

\- "Enough." –Roan cut her off before she could stall any longer- "You will not dishonor our clan ever again." –I cleared my throat- "You will not dishonor us ever again. You're Azgeda no more."

\- "There's no place for you inside this bunker, Echo." –I pointed at the door with my head- "You should leave before the rain gets heavier."

Echo cast her eyes down, she looked almost fragile, but I refused to feel bad for her, knowing Ilian was dead because of her; murdered without a chance to fight back. She looked at Roan one last time before putting on a hood and leaving the Temple.

\- "It's a pity." –Sam spoke as the door closed again- "I actually liked her."

\- "She tried to kill us!"

\- "If I held a grudge against everyone that's tried to kill me or you, it'd only be me and you around here, O."

\- "What's the plan?" –Roan pointed at the bunker- "You spoke with them?"

\- "Yeah, Bellamy said he'd open the door."

\- "Your plan is to wait?"

\- "Have you met Bellamy?" –Sam scoffed- "He won't let O die out here."

\- "Why don't we make sure that's true?" –Roan approached me- "Can you try to get to them again?"

\- "I can but..."

\- "Do it." –he then turned to Sam- "Your turn. Make sure we get what we want."

\- "Ugh, fine."

Sam stood up and walked to me as I turned on the walkie, trying to contact the bunker again but not really expecting an answer.

\- "Octavia?" –it was Abbie on the line.

\- "Are you alone?"

\- "I'm here too." –Clarke answered harshly.

Sam opened her hand in front of me to give her the walkie.  _This is going to be fun._

**\-------------------**

**ABBIE'S POV**

After they had taken Bellamy down and tied him up to make sure he couldn't open the door, I had been called to go visit him because he had cut his wrist trying to get out. Before doing that, I had gone up to the office room to take the med kit I had left there, finding Clarke there. I couldn't even look at her.

\- "Mom..." –she walked up to me- "Mom, I'm sorry."

\- "You did what you had to do."

\- "Can anyone read me?" –Octavia's voice startled us, I thought Jaha had turned off the radio- "Bellamy?"

\- "Don't." –Clarke warned me- "It'll just make it harder."

\- "I need to know, Clarke."

I ignored her advice, moving her out of the way as I took the radio on my shaky hand.

\- "Octavia?"

\- "Are you alone?" –she questioned, maybe she had something important to say.

\- "I'm here too." –Clarke took the radio from me.

\- "Of course you would! I'd be damned if Clarke Griffin didn't try to save her people by killing the rest of us in the process. Where did your faith in me go, huh? You surely didn't think I went into the Conclave without a plan, did you?"

Clarke's eyes widened as so did mine. It wasn't possible.

\- "Sam?"

\- "You didn't seriously think I'd die today, right?" –Samantha scoffed- "Now, to the important stuff, where the fuck is Bellamy and why is this fucking door still closed."

\- "If we open that door, it'll be the end of our people!" –Clarke yelled at her- "I can't do that."

\- "If you don't open that door, I'll be up here once you come out in five years and I will slit your throat before you get to see the sun rise again, princess."

\- "You won't survive Praimfaya, Sam." -my daughter's apologetic voice reminded me that once, they had been friends, or at least, they tolerated each other.

\- "The blood worked. I killed Luna under the black rain, so props to Abbie and Jackson." –Clarke looked at me, maybe what I saw had been wrong, maybe they wouldn't have died in the chamber and I could have saved everyone...- "Now where's Bellamy? What did you do to him? Because I'm certain he'd never let his little sister die out here."

\- "I'm sorry, Sam."

\- "I assume Abbie would like to open the door for Marcus who, by the way, will be the first to die if the door remains closed."

\- "Goodbye, Sam."

\- "I'll see you in five years and I'll end what Luna started." –the threatening tone in her voice frightened me- "If my sister dies, you all will too. And that's a promise."

Clarke disconnected the radio as Samantha's words sank deep into my heart.  _If the blood worked on Samantha to survive the black rain, maybe she could survive Praimfaya too out there_. I wished I had left my Med Kit out there...  _maybe she could find a way to give her marrow to Marcus._

\- "Mom?"

\- "Huh?" –I hadn't heard a word she had said- "Sorry."

\- "We can't open that door."

\- "I know."

\- "And you can't tell Bellamy Sam's alive."

\- "I know." –I looked around me- "I only came here for my..."

\- "Here." –she handed me the kit- "Make sure he doesn't hurt himself even more."

\- "I'll put him to sleep if it comes to that."

\- "Thank you, mom." –I furrowed my eyebrows- "For understanding."

\- "It seems you're in charge now."

I left the room, not losing another second to get to the turbine room where they had tied up Bellamy. Murphy had called me in because, apparently, he was cutting his wrists trying to get rid of the shackles.  _Poor kid._

**\------------------------**

**BELLAMY'S POV**

I couldn't believe Clarke would do this. They had locked me in the turbine room, chaining my hands to the wall so that I couldn't escape.  _Fuck them, fuck this!_ I started pulling on the shackles until I cut my skin deep, I had to get out of there before it was too late; I had to get my sister inside this bunker even if that was the last thing I did. I heard the door open, revealing Abbie; I immediately rose from my place and approached her as much as the chains allowed me.

\- "It's about damn time." –she opened her med kit- "I didn't do this to my wrists for fun."

\- "You want me to help you open the door."

\- "Kane's out there."

\- "You don't think I know that?"

\- "Do better today than we did yesterday, that's what he taught me."

\- "Bellamy..."

\- "Abbie, I saw your face when you heard my sister's voice on that radio. I know you want to open that door as much as I do."

\- "There's something you need to know." –she eyed me carefully, taking a step back as if she feared I'd hurt her- "Samantha's alive."

I felt my heart drop to my stomach as the words hit my brain.

\- "Don't play with me like that." –I wanted my voice to sound angry but it came out more as a plead.

\- "Don't ask me how but, when I went into the office room for my kit, Octavia radioed again. I answered but she didn't respond, it was Samantha and she was pissed."

\- "Sam's alive." –I smiled, a tear run down my cheek- "I need you to get me out."

\- "Well, she threatened to kill everyone in this bunker if Octavia dies in Praimfaya." –she then seemed to remember something- "She's a Nightblood now."

\- "I know."

\- "She told you?"

\- "No, Roan did; I think that's why he let her fight for Azgeda."

It didn't take us long to devise a plan to get me out of there, she opened the shackles and cured my wrists before making it seem like I had cut one of my hands to get out and calling Murphy to help her; as he did, I jumped on him, easily knocking him out and putting him to sleep.

\- "He'll be okay." –I told Abbie as she checked his neck.

\- "He's not our problem, the airlock control is in the office room and so is Jaha." –she looked up at me- "You got a plan for that?"

\- "Yeah." –I picked the shook baton that Murphy had been carrying- "Open the damn door or die trying."

I took a side hallway to the emergency stairs that no one was using to get to the control room, Abbie had to knock out Jaha with etorphine –an analgesic that'd put him to sleep- and then open the side door for me to get inside. Everything worked out perfectly.

\- "Abbie, I promise you, Octavia won't let anything happen to Clarke and neither will I."

\- "Samantha threatened to kill her, would you stop her too?"

\- "She threatened to kill her in five years if she didn't open the door; Sam likes Clarke, she won't harm her now."

\- "Alright." –she nodded- "Let's do this." –she sat in front of the controllers and started checking how we had to do this- "So, it takes two people to open the door, one from above, one from here. Get into position. Now!"

I ran as fast as I could, getting rid of everyone that chose to stand in my way, quickly getting to the door that secured the room where the main door to the outside was. I had to wait till Abbie opened it. I heard footsteps coming my way. Clarke.

\- "Come on, Abbie!"

The door finally opened and I wasted no time to get to the hatch that connected us to the surface, the adrenaline running through my veins like wildfire.

\- "Bellamy, stop." –Clarke pointed a gun at me.

\- "I don't have time for this; the radiation is getting worse and people are dying out there!" –I went up one step and she shot over my head- "What the fuck are you doing!"

\- "What I have to, like always. Now, get away from the door."

\- "No." –I stated harshly as I shook my head- "This is not like shutting the dropship door or pulling the lever in Mount Weather or in the City of Light. We knew what we were stopping then; now, we know nothing."

\- "We know that if that door stays shut, the human race survives!" –her hand was shaking- "Please."

\- "I don't care about the human race." –I took another step up- "My family is out there and either the three of us make it or no one does." –she gulped- "Yes, thank you for telling me that Sam's alive."

\- "I was trying to protect you!"

\- "From what?"

\- "From the pain!"

\- "You know nothing about my pain, Clarke." –I scoffed- "Make it a killer shot because I'm not going to stop until I get to them."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Constructive criticism is always welcome, thank you🍸


	21. The Bunker.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Octavia patiently waits for Bellamy to finally open the hatch to the bunker, wishing the clans won’t come to the Temple before that happens.

**SAM'S POV**

After Clarke hung up on me, I felt my blood boil; if Octavia died, I'd make sure Clarke didn't set foot up here ever again. Bellamy not having been there could only mean they had locked him up somewhere but I trusted Abbie would get around and either get him out or open the door herself; I knew she would never forgive herself if anything happened to Kane. Being observant had paid off after all.

\- "You think that'll work?"

\- "Abbie loves Kane." –I faced Roan- "I planted the seed, we just have to wait for it to flourish and hope it isn't too late."

\- "What if it doesn't work."

\- "Then I'll make sure this is the end of the human race." –I moved back to sit next to Octavia- "If Abbie had left a Med Kit behind I could make you a Nightblood too."

\- "You think that'd work?"

\- "I survived the black rain..." –I shrugged my shoulders- "The worst that could happen is we both die because this blood is bullshit too."

\- "How's your stomach?"

\- "I'll survive." –I realized what I said and started laughing- "I'll survive from the stab at least."

We stood in silence for the next ten minutes. I, going over all the possibilities of how wrong this could go, Octavia, sat next to me, her hand on mine and our fingers intertwined while Indra and Roan paced the room. Patience was never my strongest suit.

\- "I have to do something else before we get in." –I rose from my place.

\- "Where are you going?" –O asked me, raising too from the floor, anxious eyes all over me.

\- "I'm going out there." –I squeezer her upper arms- "Stay here, I'm sure it won't take much longer for them to open the door."

\- "Be fast, I'm not closing that door if you aren't inside."

\- "Got that." –I kissed her forehead- "Stay on your toes." –I pointed at Roan, who nodded.

I didn't know why exactly I was doing this, but I felt like I ought to. I walked under the rain, moving back to Sheda's house, getting inside finding exactly what I was looking for; then, I went to the stable: Helios was there with Vukan and my heart ached knowing I had left Selene behind, to die in the black rain. To anyone else, it might have seemed stupid, but I loved her; she had been my companion since Sheda handed me her reigns and she had never failed me once. I knew Octavia felt the same way about Helios and I couldn't let him, or Vukan, suffer terrible deaths too if the rain leaked through the ceiling or just due to the radiation, because I was certain that would be painful. I didn't want to do this, but it was the least I could do; I couldn't save them but I'd give them the least painful death I could think of. I opened the door to the stable and both horses immediately moved towards me, neighing.  _This is not going to be easy._  I figured it'd be best to start with Vukan for he was bigger so I tied Helios reigns to a post and made Vukan lay on the ground; I covered both their eyes tearing two pieces from my shirt and then took out a gun. Bellamy had left it behind in the room over the entrance to the Tower; I thanked the gods he forgot it or else I wasn't sure how I was going to pull this one off.

\- "Alright, there, boy." –I sat next to Vukan, his head on my legs- "It'll be over soon."

I loaded the gun, taking a deep breath as I fought back the tears; I couldn't let my vision blurry or else I might miss the spot and cause them more pain than necessary.

\- "Alright, I'm sure Sheda is waiting for you somewhere."

I petted his face once more, offering him the carrot I had taken from the kitchen and, as he finished it, I shot him. I closed my eyes, letting my head fall back as I clenched my jaw. I would not allow the tears to run down my face. The shot had startled Helios, who started to neigh anxiously and try to get free to run away. I made sure Vukan's eyes were closed before moving to O's horse.

\- "Hey, buddy." –I petted his face- "It's alright, nothing to worry about." –I moved my hand to my pocket, taking out an apple, knowing those were his favorite- "I got something for you."

I allowed him to smell it and he neighed, moving his head up and down as if saying 'yeah, I want that', a chuckle leaving my lips as I took out my smallest blade to cut the apple in several pieces so that he wouldn't choke. I stood with him for the next 10 minutes, feeding him the apple slowly, realizing that killing Vukan had been hard but this was going to be worse. I untied the knot to the post and made him lay with me on the ground, feeding him the last slice of apple I had.

\- "I'm sorry O can't be here to say goodbye." –I talked to him softly, calmly- "You see? The rain is poisonous and it'd kill her, same way it could kill you any time now." –he neighed as if he understood- "No, it won't kill me, it's fine. Don't worry about me. You just think of apples and green clearings, clear skies and long warm days..." –I moved the gun over the spot I had to shoot him on- "Goodbye, buddy."

And I shot, his head immediately falling to the side as he died.  _I didn't sign up for this._ I closed his eyes and then moved back, resting my back on his side, going over what I had just done, trying to convince me it was what had to be done.  _If I hadn't they'd have died as that guy at the lab... this was the best way_. I nodded my head.  _It was, yes._  I didn't know for how long I stood there, only coming back to reality as a drop of water fell on my face. I opened my eyes and looked up: the ceiling had started to leak as the rain had become heavier for a couple minutes. I rose from the ground, seeing their skins burn on the places the drops fell.

\- "It was the right thing to do."

**\---------------------**

**OCTAVIA'S POV**

It proved hard to stay calm as time passed. I knew it wouldn't be much longer until the clans were able to move to the Temple and find out what had happened; if I was going to die like that, I wanted Sam by my side and she was taking too long.  _What could be so important to do so last minute?_  Roan kept pacing the room, moving to the door from time to time to check, I assumed, if Sam was coming back. She was taking too long. My brother was taking too long. Suddenly, the door opened and I hoped Sam would come in but it wasn't her, it was one of the councilmen.

\- "Rein-de don wan op." –he approached me- "Emo kru's komba raun. Osir na hod emo kiln?" [The rain has stopped. The clans are coming. Should we stop them?]

I looked behind me to the door, still closed.  _Come on, Bellamy._  I knew I couldn't stop the clans from coming, they'd find out eventually. I sighed as I faced the man again.

\- "No. Let them come."

His eyes were unsure about my words, but he nodded nonetheless and left the room; Roan came beside me.

\- "We are in no position to fight them." –he reminded me.

\- "It's time to face the music." –I simply shrugged my shoulders- "I just hope Sam will be here before it starts."

He nodded and stood next to me facing the door. Out of nowhere, I heard a noise behind us, turning around I witnessed how the hatch to the bunker opened; I had trouble believing it, blinking my eyes hard when I saw my brother's face. I stumbled towards him as fast as I could and he embraced me in his arms, smiling as he did.

\- "I knew you'd come through." –I whispered in his ear.

\- "I love you so much, O."

For a moment, time stopped. It had been so long since he had said it, it felt foreign for a second.

\- "Octavia." –Indra prompted me- "They're here."

\- "Just in time."

\- "O, where's Sam?" –he looked frantically around the room- "Abbie told me she was alive too, was she lying?" –the despair in his eyes, almost too much to handle.

\- "No, she's alive."

\- "She left to do something." –Roan moved next to me- "She'll come back."

Bellamy didn't seem convinced but I didn't have time to explain as the heads of clans came inside the room.

\- "Oso laik won kru." –I faced them before pointing at the bunker- "En dison laik oso hou. Monin hou." [We are one clan. And this is our home. Welcome home.]

I motioned for them to move inside and so they did, one by one; Indra moved inside too but Roan and Bellamy stood with me, I knew they were waiting for Sam to come back but, as the line thinned out and only a couple people were left, I started to panic.

\- "She promised she'd be back." –I paced the room as the last Grounder entered the bunker- "Where the fuck is she?!"

\- "I've never seen Skairipa so stressed." –Roan looked at me- "You should get inside."

\- "I'm not leaving my sister behind."

\- "I'm not either." –he reassured me- "I'll wait here for her while you deal with Skaikru."

\- "I'll stay too." –Bellamy was quick to offer.

\- "No, you have to come in with me." –I faced him- "I'm making sure you get a spot. Let's go."

I pushed him to the stairs and he protested but, seeing I pushed him harder, he ended up moving down, looking one last time to the door, hoping she'd show up, but she didn't.  _Sam, whatever you're doing, your ass better show up in here soon._

**\-----------------------**

**BELLAMY'S POV**

After Octavia announced, or more so, reminded us about the 100 spots Skaikru had inside the bunker and proclaiming one of them was mine, the tension in the room could have been cut with a knife. Murmurs started outside where the Grounders were waiting before being taken to their designated areas; someone yelled a way too familiar nickname and the rest cheered, my heart starting to race as the anticipation built in my chest. Soon after, with all our eyes on the entrance to the room we were in, the doors opened abruptly, revealing two figures.

\- "Sam!"

Octavia didn't hide the excitement and relief in her voice as Sam entered the room closely followed by Roan. Sam stood tall as Roan moved next to her; if I had just met her for the first time, I'd had sworn she was royalty along with the King; she was in a way now, after all. But she had always been my Queen.  _She always will._  The white fur that covered her shoulders was red and black now, her hair was wet and so were her clothes; I assumed that's why Octavia didn't jump on her as I knew she used to do and most definitely wanted to do now. Roan dropped a bag next to him from which I distinguished Sam's bow and quiver picking out.

\- "You didn't seriously think I wasn't coming back?" –Sam chuckled as she took a step towards us- "I did not fight all those Champions for nothing."

\- "Who do you think you are?" –Jaha threateningly addressed Sam- "Coming in here, forcing us to sacrifice our people while you eat an apple."

\- "Oh, my bad." –Sam mocked him- "Want a bite?" –she offered him the fruit- "Please, bite it and burn to death from the inside out."

\- "Black rain." –Jaha took a step back as a drop of water ran down the apple and fell to the floor- "Impossible."

\- "Why the fuck did you think I was in that arena? Certainly not to kill my sister nor to save your sorry ass, believe me." –Sam chuckled looking at Abbie- "Good job, doc!" -she rose the apple as if she were toasting- "Now..." –she turned to Octavia- "What's going on here?"

\- "You haven't changed at all." –Jaha mumbled under his breath before Octavia could answer- "You're the same arrogant kid I locked up..."

\- "You locked me up because you couldn't control me." –Sam corrected him- "Because I murdered one of your men."

\- "You think you're superior because you survived the Conclave long enough? Did you even fight any of the Champions? Maybe got lucky and killed a couple of them?" –Jaha mocked her- "You aren't strong enough to have killed more than two."

\- "A couple Champions." –Octavia laughed, shaking her head- "You have no idea..."

\- "It's okay, O, I don't care..."

\- "But I do." –O cut her off before addressing Jaha again- "The only reason we got this bunker fairly is because Sam was there."

\- "My Champion..." –Roan chimed in; he had an air of righteousness around him as he stood just next to Sam, almost protectively and, even if the situation didn't call for it, I felt jealously running through my blood as he called her 'his'- "...killed the alliance against her. The six Champions Trikru put together to take me down."

\- "Is that true?" –Kane faced Indra who nodded.

\- "And she killed Luna." -Octavia added, all our heads shooting to look at Sam; that explained all the black covering her.

\- "It was teamwork, O."

\- "I couldn't have killed her even if I wanted to, Sam, but you did, you took her down." –she faced Jaha- "Sam fought her under the rain and she won. She's the Champion deserving of the bunker. If she kicks you out, no one will oppose."

\- "You killed Luna?" –he looked taken aback; underestimating Sam seemed to have always been his hobby.

\- "It didn't please me but it was the only way to save my family." –she pointed at the black covering her clothes- "You didn't think all this blood was mine, right? I mean, some of it is, but that's Roan's fault." -she pointed at him, looking completely entertained.

\- "I already apologized."

\- "You're not living this down, sir King." –she hit him on the chest lightly, making sure her hand didn't touch his skin before she moved back to face the table- "So, what are we doing here?"

\- "You call this justice? –Jaha spoke again, not willing to let this go down easy- "Killing 400 of our people?"

\- "We call this 'making things right'." –Octavia took the initiative now as Sam nodded in agreement; it was easy to tell he was getting on Sam's nerves- "Thanks to my brother." –she looked at me and I nodded, feeling Sam's eyes on me; she smiled softly at me and nodded too, my heart was at ease again but I needed, no, I wanted to talk with her.

\- "You let this happen?" –Jaha looked at Clarke and angrily moved to her- "How many of us have to die?"

\- "You're lucky it's not all of you." –Indra threatened him.

\- "Lucky?"

\- "You've been lucky up until now." –Sam moved in front of Clarke, almost protectively, forcing Jaha to take a step back- "But you are no more."

Her tone was severe as if she were pronouncing a life sentence but not even that would have led me to see what happened next coming; she moved so fast I almost missed it, only seeing Jaha moving his hands to his neck as he stumbled back.

\- "You almost killed my sister and Sheda is dead because of you." –Sam spat at him- "You have no place in this bunker."

\- "Thelonious!" –Abbie tried to move to him but Roan pulled her back smiling as Indra rose her sword in front of Kane, preventing him from moving and eyeing me as if trying to say 'don't even try'.

\- "Be thankful your death is quick." –her tone was bitter as she stood over him, watching him die- "I'll see you in hell."

As Jaha fell to the floor and his eyes closed, his hands falling to his sides, life leaving his body, Roan and Indra allowed Kane and Abbie to move. She quickly moved to check his pulse, turning around shaking her head, not that we needed her to know. Sam cleaned her blade on the sleeve of her jacket, turning around to face us.

\- "You got one less person to worry about now..." –Sam addressed Kane- "Your people, your problem."

\- "These are your people too."

\- "Now, now." –Sam approached him- "I think we established last time we spoke that my people are dead. Most of them anyway."

\- "Killing Jaha won't bring him back."

\- "I know." –she nodded putting her blade away- "This is your last chance to redeem yourself, make it count."

\- "Are you going to kill me too?"

\- "Should I?" –she eyed him and he took a step back, she smiled and I knew she didn't intend on doing so; she was just scaring them- "You're choosing who dies for you, once again. But it's the last time."

\- "What is that supposed to mean?" –Clarke finally spoke again, almost hesitantly.

\- "Easy. You people have been the ones in control of Skaikru since we landed at some point or another and, you know what? I'm done. You make this call but, once the bunker's closed, you're in charge no more."

\- "Then who is?" –Abbie retorted annoyed- "How do you expect to control the Grounders?"

\- "We are." –Sam looked at Octavia who nodded at her- "You all answer to Octavia now. Unless you want me to make the list and, trust me, you won't make the cut."

She then moved to the door, closely followed by Roan. My feet promptly carried me after them, walking just a couple meters behind them and watching how, as she moved through the place, Grounders nodded their heads at her; not even at Roan, but at Sam. She motioned for them not to, but they did it anyway. Sam had gained everyone's respect and proud was all I could feel then.

\- "Sam!" –I ran up to her once I got to the hallway leading to the lower levels- "Wait!"

\- "What are you doing here, Skaikru?"

\- "Easy there, Roan. Bellamy might be Skaikru, but he's still my family so check your tone."

\- "After everything?" –Roan faced her- "You don't learn, do you?"

\- "You don't get to lecture me about this. Move and get me to my room." –Roan sighed but did as Sam ordered, moving in front of her as she waited for me, eyeing me up and down as I got to her- "You alright?"

\- "I thought you were dead." –I didn't even bother faking being okay- "I thought you were gone for good this time, Sam."

\- "Bell..." –she smiled at me, shaking her head as her eyes bore into mine- "I always have a plan."

\- "I want to kiss you so bad right now. I want to hold you close and never let you out of my sight ever again. I was so scared..."

\- "We have five years to do that now." –she started walking again by my side- "You got one spot from Skaikru, I got one from Azgeda, courtesy of my friend over there." –she pointed at Roan before glancing at me- "Thank you for opening the bunker. I couldn't have handled watching O die."

\- "You think you'd have survived? Now that you're a Nightblood, I mean."

\- "I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to freak out." –she shrugged her shoulders- "Maybe yes, maybe no; but I know Octavia would have died before me and I..." –she took a deep breath- "Thank you. I owe you."

\- "I'm sorry for doubting you."

\- "I'd say I'm sorry for lying but I'm not."

\- "Are you okay?" -I had to stop myself from taking her hand in mine. I cursed the black rain.

\- "Yeah, why?"

\- "The Conclave, Jaha..."

\- "Jaha had it coming, I won't apologize."

\- "You're not okay, Sam."

I placed my hand over her shoulder, covering it with my sleeve; she freaked out for a second, until she realized my skin was covered; then, she sighed as we came to a stop, Roan opening a door and allowing Sam to get inside but preventing me from doing so.

\- "Let me in."

\- "The Queen deserves some time alone. Besides, you can't touch her."

\- "You both get more annoying by the second you spend together." -Sam came back to the door- "You can both wait outside while I shower and change clothes." -Roan offered her the bag- "Try not to kill each other while I'm not around, alright?"

\- "I love you."

\- "Don't go anywhere..." -she smirked at me- "...love."

Roan grunted annoyed, closing the door on my face as I heard Sam laughing at the other side. I rested my back against the wall and Roan did the same at the other side of the door.

\- "What's your intention with Sam?"

\- "You make too many questions."

\- "If you are trying to use her..."

\- "Not every Azgeda is like Ulger, Skaikru. He's the Queen on her own merits, not that I could have stopped her; half of my people pleaded loyalty to her."

\- "Does she know that?"

\- "No."

He crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes, ending our conversation, if you could call it like that, before it even started. I shook my head annoyed. I had so many questions, it was true, but nor for him; for Sam. I wanted to know what had happened at the lab, how she became a Nightblood and why. I wanted to know what exactly had gone down at the Conclave and how they came to this arrangement. I wanted to know what was going on in her head. And I had to find the right time to tell her about Jasper. And we had to go after Raven too. I wished Roan would disappear so I could sneak into the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember that feedback is always greatly appreciated🍸


	22. The Selection.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Octavia and Sam give an ultimatum to Skaikru before they have to face the consequences of not following their orders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: You guys, this is chapter 100 in my Sweet Release series! Thank so so much to everyone reading this far for the support and taking a chance on me. I hope to hear from all of you soon and that you'll keep enjoying my writing for as long as I keep doing it! Love, Seira🍒

**SAM'S POV**

I had to laugh at how absolutely near childish Bellamy and Roan behaved when they were together, unimpressed was how I felt about it. I knew it was because of me but I had already gone through this with Sheda and Bellamy and I didn't want to partake on this one; although, Sheda had been much more mature about it. I missed him, I realized I missed being with someone with whom I always felt safe and welcome. Roan and Bellamy were both strong and totally capable, but the aura that surrounded Sheda... he was different.

I placed the bag Roan had been carrying for me since he followed me to Sheda's house on the floor and went straight into the bathroom to leave my jacket, pants, and boots covered in rain there and to wash my hands before actually touching anything inside the bag. I didn't want to think about anything right now; I just wanted to have a quick shower and get out of the room. I took out some clothes for me, leaving the stuff for Lila inside, taking my bow and quiver and hanging them on the upper bunk bed. I had to wash the clothes but I needed a shower first and I had to check my cuts.  _Will I ever enjoy a day without bleeding? I highly doubt it._  I sighed, undressing completely and getting under the water, the burning feeling reminded me I still had open wounds but I didn't mind it; the worse one had been taken care of and now I just wanted to relax for a moment before facing reality again, before I moved to check on Bellamy and find Lila, make sure my family made the cut and just, hopefully, live in peace for the next five years.

**\-----------------------**

**BELLAMY'S POV**

I ended up sitting on the floor, reminding myself of all the questions I had and trying to figure out how to break the news to Sam about Jasper.  _It's going to break her heart. I can't do this... but I have to, she'll find out eventually, it's best if she hears it from me now._ I sighed.  _She's lost so much, how am I going to face her? But now, five years in here, we will be okay, we will be happy and we will be able to move on, fix our issues and just... live._ I smiled.  _Live, not just survive, like Jasper said._

\- "Bellamy?" –Kane's voice came through my walkie- "Bellamy, come in."

\- "What is it?"

\- "We have to start making decisions and get a team to go for Raven; if we take much longer we won't make the cut. Over."

I rose from my place and sighed annoyed that Kane didn't even allow me to answer, placing my ear on the door, hearing the shower going.  _I have to go, we have to bring Raven back. Sam doesn't even know she's not here yet._ I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, resting my forehead on the wall.  _I'll come back, Sam, I promise and I will bring Raven with me. You aren't losing anyone else._

\- "I'll keep an eye on her." –Roan spoke, his voice startled me; I didn't know I was so easy to read.

\- "I'm coming back."

\- "Of course. We wouldn't want you burning out there."

\- "I mean it."

\- "Me too." –he opened his eyes and focused on me- "She cares about you. Be fast, I won't be able to contain her inside of the bunker if you take too long."

\- "Thank you."

\- "Don't thank me. I can't allow Azgeda's Queen to burn for a simple Skaikru."

_Yeah, that was more like Roan._

\- "I'll take care of her if you happen not to come back."

\- "I won't be long."

I looked at the door one last time before running to the upper level. I knew I'd see her in a couple hours but it pained me not being able to tell her where I was going.  _It's better this way, she needs to rest._  I made my way through the crowds of people, finally getting to the control room, finding Kane, Abbie, and Clarke there.

\- "We just spoke with Raven." –Kane rose from the chair in front of the radio, addressing me- "When she gets here, we'll have all our essential personnel."

\- "How many spots does that leave us with?"

\- "Including the essential personnel and the places we are holding for the children under 16?" –Abbie asked Clarke who nodded- "That leaves us with 80." –she cleared her throat and eyed me- "81 now that Samantha murdered Thelonious."

\- "Someone still needs to go for Raven." –I ignored the look of almost disgust she was giving me; I didn't necessarily agree with what Sam had done but I stood by her- "I'd like to volunteer."

\- "I'll join you." –I felt Clarke's eyes on me but I ignored her, I was still processing the way she tried to manipulate me.

\- "No." –Abbie was obviously quick to disagree- "Someone else can go with you. Take Samantha."

\- "Sam is under Roan's protection." –I faced her- "Wanna go and face him?"

I knew that was my best card to force them to leave Sam out of this, they wouldn't go against the King. Of course, I knew she could get rid of Roan if she truly wanted to, which is why I had to leave fast, but they didn't need to know that.

\- "Mom, Raven needs our help and I know the way to the island. I have to do this."

\- "Well, you be safe." –Kane didn't take another second to agree, thankfully- "There'll be a place for both of you when you get back."

I moved to the airlock, followed by Clarke and Abbie, wasting no more time to put on my suit as Abbie reminded us both that even minimal exposure to radiation could kill us.

\- "It takes ten hours to get to the lab on a good day and ten to come back; that doesn't give you much room for discussion."

\- "Mom, it's okay. We'll be alright."

\- "I love you, Clarke. Don't ever forget that."

\- "This isn't goodbye. I'll come back. We'll come back."

\- "Clarke."

\- "A.L.I.E. was wrong." –Clarke placed her hands over Abbie's shoulders but what truly caught my attention was what she said next- "I know you're scared because of what you saw in that vision, mom, but Sam's alive and we're both Nightbloods, right?"

\- "Clarke, listen to me."

\- "Mom, it worked. Sam survived the black rain!"

\- "The black rain is very different from the real radiation. Samantha just got lucky."

\- "I know you're angry she killed Jaha but her survival proves Jackson and you were right, alright? I'll be okay."

_A vision? What is that supposed to mean? Sam dying? Of course, no one would tell me about this._  For a second, I wished Sam was there as I saw them hug goodbye. I wished I was a Nightblood too so that I could have kissed her when I saw her. But I wasn't, and it was too late now to go back.

\- "We'll be back before Praimfaya." –I reassured Abbie as she faced me- "With Raven."

She nodded and moved to the door to exit the airlock when it opened, revealing Murphy and Emori.

\- "Got room for two more?"

\- "What are you doing here?"

\- "We heard you were going after Raven." –Murphy moved his eyes from me to Clarke- "We just want to help."

\- "I've been to that island dozens of times." –Emori added- "No one knows the water better than me."

\- "Maybe it'll help our chances if we bring the chosen ones." –Murphy shrugged his shoulders and I understood the real reason they wanted to come with us.

\- "There's a lottery." –Abbie quickly informed them- "I'll make sure that your name is in it."

\- "And Emori?"

\- "I'll do the best I can."

Murphy looked at Emori, we all knew what that meant. What was more important now was that I knew Emori could have a place in the bunker. I knew what Sam would do.

\- "Sam freed a spot when she killed Jaha." –I looked at Murphy.

\- "She did what?"

\- "That spot should be for Emori." –I looked at her- "Sam would want you to have it."

\- "Bellamy!" –Abbie reprimanded me- "You can't do that."

\- "We don't rule this place." –I reminded her- "Octavia and Sam do. Go ask Sam if she approves of you kicking Emori out because she's not Skaikru even if she's been more helpful to us than half of the people in there."

\- "Bellamy..." –Murphy patted my shoulder- "It's alright. We're coming with you." –he then looked at Abbie- "Thank Sam for being the only one thinking about us."

It was uncomfortable to see the interaction between them, Abbie nodding her head before hugging Clarke goodbye once more. Once she left and we waited for Emori and Murphy to get on their suits, I addressed Clarke.

\- "What's that about Sam dying?"

\- "Nothing." –Clarke quickly brushed it off- "She's not coming, she'll be fine."

\- "Yeah, she's not coming because I asked Roan to keep her down there." –I retorted- "Not because you say so."

\- "Bellamy..."

\- "Let's just get this over with."

It irritated me to no ends seeing how no one wanted to tell me what really had been going on. I moved to take the hat to my suit and put it on just as Emori and Murphy finished with theirs; the four of us making our way outside the bunker.  _Hold on, Raven, we're coming._

**\-----------------**

**SAM'S POV**

I probably spent a couple more minutes under the water than I needed, a couple more looking at myself in the mirror, and a couple more checking all my wounds. I put on my clothes consisting of a pair of ripped black pants, one of Sheda's shirts and his jacket; I hadn't left any more clothes at his house and it was too late to go back to Arkadia. I pushed the memories aside as I got to the door, opening it and only seeing Roan outside.

\- "Unexpected." –I looked around- "I thought he'd be patient enough to wait for me to relax for a second..."

\- "He was called into the control room." –Roan moved from the wall- "He said he'd be back as soon as he could."

\- "Oh, okay. They are probably deciding who gets Skaikru's spots." –I shrugged my shoulders.

\- "Everyone from Skaikru has been moved to the upper level until they make a decision. Your sister gave them 12 hours."

\- "I'm tempted to go see how that goes. I'll go find her." –I started walking away from the room- "Then I have to find Lila."

\- "Who?"

\- "Sheda's little sister. You threatened to kill her without knowing who she was?" –I scoffed- "That's low, even for you."

\- "I needed you to cooperate."

\- "You're welcome."

Roan and I made it to the upper level, finding two Trikru guards on the door that was now locked; I assumed every Skaikru was on the other side.

\- "Weron Skairipa kamp raun?" [Where's Skairipa?]

One of them pointed at the door, their eyes on Roan; I asked them to open the door for me, more so demanded and they did as I asked. Immediately, I found every Skaikru shouting and about to kill each other. I landed eyes on Octavia who made her way to us.

\- "I gave them 12 hours and this is what they are doing with their time."

\- "Are you surprised?" –I looked around- "Where's Jasper? And Monty and Harper and Raven?" –I faced Octavia- "Where are our people? Is Murphy inside with Emori?"

\- "I don't know."

The shouts got louder but this time they caught my attention as I heard a voice I didn't expect to be there.

\- "Let me go!"

\- "Niylah? Why us she up here?"

\- "I'll go."

Octavia squeezed my shoulder and moved towards her, followed by a Trikru guard as Roan stood beside me. I realized O had two bodyguards now, not counting the presence of Indra. The Trikru man that followed her efficiently pulled every man away from Niylah as they tried to hurt her; my fists clenched at my sides, Octavia's sword to the neck of one of them.

\- "Niylah!" –Octavia called her- "You're with us."

Niylah looked at her and then at me, immediately moving away from the wall she had been cornered at and standing next to me.

\- "She's safe." –Octavia announced, addressing the crowd of Skaikru in the room before looking at me.

\- "She'll take Jaha's spot for Skaikru." –I turned to Roan- "Take her inside." –then I looked at Niylah- "You alright?"

She showed me a wound on her face so I prompted Roan to get her out of there; he pulled her to the door and they both disappeared through it, it closed behind them and both of Octavia's men stood in front of it to make sure no one could get past it; I turned to Octavia and nodded, she knocked out the guy in front of her, the one that had hurt Niylah the most and put her blade aside.

\- "You have to stop this!" –a man I had barely seen throughout the time I lived in Arkadia addressed Octavia, he looked familiar- "You're one of us!" –he looked at me- "You too!"

\- "We're one of you?" –Octavia scoffed for both of us as she strode towards me.

\- "You sided with Pike." –I breathed out as the image played in my head- "We were never one of you."

I patted myself, finding a blade in the holster I wore around my right thigh that I was convinced I hadn't put there.  _Roan._  I took it and approached the man who took a couple steps back.

\- "You should die out there." –I forced the blade to his neck, words coming slowly through my gritted teeth.

\- "Samantha!" –Kane yelled at me- "You can't sentence to death everyone who hasn't sided with you."

\- "I can." –I eyed him- "But I won't, because they're all outnumbered now. I won't bother getting rid of them one by one." –I moved back to the door, putting away the blade and standing in between both Trikru men- "You have 99 spots left, make them count."

\- "We can't do that!" –someone yelled in the crowd, but this time, I allowed Octavia to take up the reins of the situation.

\- "Every other clan has chosen their survivors." –she stood on a higher platform so that everyone could see her- "Every other clan!" –she reinforced, her eyes narrow as she glanced over the crowd- "Skaikru is no different. You have until midnight to choose or you all die."

She jumped from the platform and we both walked outside the level, followed by Indra and both men as the murmurs rose at the other side of the now, closed door.

**\----------------------**

**OCTAVIA'S POV**

The only consolation I felt doing this was that Sam was by my side. Skaikru had to decide fast or I'd be forced to make a move... we'd be forced to make a move. We walked down to the next level through the hallway, side by side, until she finally spoke.

\- "I don't get it. Where are our people?"

\- "Bellamy, Clarke, Murphy and Emori left to find Raven."

\- "What?" –Sam faced Indra as she informed us of what had really happened- "I don't understand." –she shook her head- "Why did she stay behind? I thought she came back with Miller, why did no one tell me?"

\- "Probably because of the Conclave"

\- "Will they have time to come back?"

\- "Kane said they would, but no time for mistakes; they'd get spots in the bunker once they are back."

\- "Kane willingly saved a spot for Murphy and Emori? I doubt it." –she looked at me- "You knew they left?" –I shook my head- "Why didn't they come to me? I promised Murphy and Emori I'd get them a place down here, it was part of my terms with Roan."

\- "What?" -I turned surprised to look at her.

\- "There aren't 100 Azgeda in here, just 96 and me; the other three spots were for them and Jasper because I knew no one would save them." –she sighed, she was worried- "Why didn't they come to me? You think they think I've changed? And where the fuck is Jasper."

\- "Sam, I'm sure there's a perfect explanation for all of that." –I squeezed her arm- "You can ask them once they are back.""

\- "Oh, trust me, I will."

I knew Raven had stayed behind because she had radioed when I was still in the room, what I didn't know was that Bellamy was the one meant to go look for her. I knew he'd make it, but Sam and I had to focus now on controlling the Grounders and forcing Skaikru to choose. We saw Roan in the hallway, pointing us in the direction in which he had taken Niylah and soon, we found her in a room with a bandage pressed to her jaw.

\- "Are you okay?" –I kneeled in front of her as Sam squeezed her shoulder.

\- "Sorry about that." –Sam apologized for what they had done to her up there.

\- "They're scared." –Niylah quickly responded- "We all are."

\- "Still." –I saw Sam's fists clenching at her sides- "That doesn't give them the right to..."

\- "Sam, I'm alright." –Niylah cut her off with a soft tone in her voice; I knew she was trying to soothe us- "I'll never forget what you've done for me. I owe you both my life."

I took her hands in mine and gave them a light squeeze as Sam smiled at her.

\- "A word?" –Indra's voice forced us three to turn our faces and Sam to turn around completely to look at her- "Octavia."

\- "Go." –Sam nodded at me.

\- "You should hear this too."

Roan's voice followed Indra's as he looked at Sam. I still couldn't believe Indra and Roan were sharing the same living space but this was for the greater good. Sam sighed and followed me up to them.

\- "I fear this will only get worse."

\- "Skaikru must decide or else the clans will fight them back."

\- "You both know how this has to end."

\- "Yeah, Skaikru must decide or else they all die; that much is clear." -Sam crossed her arms over her chest, nodding in agreement.

\- "But..." –I eyed Sam, I wished I had things as clear as she seemed to have them- "What if I can? Wipe them out...?"

\- "We're together in this, I won't make a move unless you're in it with me." –Sam gave me a reassuring look.

\- "The terms were already given." –Indra reminded us- "There's no going back now for either of you. I know this is hard but you won the Conclave."

\- "I'm no Champion." –I looked around me- "I hid. The only reason I survived is that Ilian helped me." –I glanced at Sam- "Because my sister was there. She's the true winner of the Conclave."

\- "You survived on your own merits, O; I had nothing to do with that." –she made me face her, her hands on my upper arms- "You're a survivor, you're a fighter... and we will fight to stay alive if that's what it comes to."

\- "Wonkru looks up to you." –Roan chimed in with a solid voice- "The sisters who survived against all odds." –I swore I saw a smile on his face- "They'll do what needs to be done once you give the command."

\- "I just hope it won't get to that." –I shook my head.

\- "Me too."

Sam agreed with me; I didn't expect her to but it eased my mind. After that, Roan and Indra left us there and we both moved back to check Niylah properly; in between the both of us, we had some experience getting beaten up and working through it. Skaikru had still a couple hours to make their choice so, once we finished making sure that Niylah was alright and taken care of, Sam and I started walking together around the bunker, Grounders greeting us most places but gaining disapproving looks from others.

\- "This bunker is so big." –Sam let out a deep breath- "How am I supposed to find anyone in here?"

\- "Who are you looking for?"

\- "Lila." –she faced me- "She's going to stay with me until we make it out of here in T minus 5 years." –she chuckled amusingly.

\- "You'll go insane if you start counting the days." –I laughed with her- "Most Trikrus are here, she has to be..."

\- "Sam!" –a high-pitched scream called our attention- "O!"

Lila came towards us running out from one of the rooms with her arms up and the biggest smile on her face, almost forcing her eyes shut; I had to smile as Sam picked her up from the floor and danced with her in circles before stopping next to me. Sam looked so happy... like she used to be before Sheda died; I guess she saw a little of him in Lila and that was enough for her now.  _5 years... she's going to break at some point and the mourning process for all she's lost is not going to be easy... I should know._

\- "O?" –Sam pushed me lightly and I shook my head, getting rid of my thoughts and paying attention to them again- "Did you hear a word we said?" –she smiled as Lila crossed her arms over her chest, a disapproving look on her face but way too cute to take seriously.

\- "No... sorry." –I smiled- "I was just thinking..."

\- "About what?" –Lila quickly asked me, moving her arms in front of her, prompting me to pick her up, so I did.

\- "About something I saw Sam carrying earlier for you." –I lightly touched the tip of her nose with my finger- "Where are your things?" –she pointed at the room she came from and I put her on the floor- "Go pick them up."

\- "Why?"

\- "Because you're going to live with us." –Sam squatted in front of her.

\- "Is the big guy going to be there too?"

Lila became shy all of a sudden, her voice almost a whisper as she pointed behind us. I turned around to see Roan with his eyes glued to Sam and Lila, almost melancholically but, as he felt my gaze on him and his eyes landed on mine, he quickly recomposed himself.

\- "Roan?" –Sam chuckled- "No, no, no, this is a girls' room!"

Lila nodded convinced and run up to pick up her things. Sam rose up, shaking her head smiling as Roan approached us.

\- "It's almost time."

\- "I'll go. Take Lila to our room."

\- "I'll meet you at the main door once I'm done here."

I nodded and started moving back to the upper level.  _Alright, they better have made their choice._

**\-----------------**

**SAM'S POV**

I watched Octavia go followed by the two Grounders I had the feeling would be her shadow from now on; Roan approached me and I took the blade I had used earlier and put it in front of him.

\- "This isn't mine."

\- "What makes you think it's mine?"

\- "The symbol on the handle?" –I stated it as a question but I was just being sarcastic- "Here." –I handed it to him.

\- "It's yours, keep it."

\- "Why?"

\- "You left the room unarmed and I can't..."

\- "What makes you think I didn't have a hidden blade?" –I cut him off quickly.

\- "You aren't wearing the vest."

I looked at my torso. It was true. For the first time, I had forgotten to put it on. I couldn't explain why, but I had forgotten.

\- "You weren't expecting having to fight again." –Roan stood in front of me, reading the confusion in my face and trying to give me a solution for my mistake; I wasn't sold on it but he didn't need to know that.

\- "Yeah, exactly."

\- "Sam!" –Lila ran up to me with a little bag, standing next to my legs but away from Roan.

\- "Lila..." –I picked her up- "This is King Roan." –she wrinkled her nose as she looked at him, more so at the Azgeda mark on his face- "He's a friend."

\- "He's Azgeda."

\- "We're all Wonkru now." –I explained to her but she tilted her head- "We're all like a big clan now; we have to live down here for a couple years and we have to get along."

\- "Azgeda is bad."

Lila wasn't sold on this idea and had no problems letting us now; before I could say anything, Roan started laughing. Confusion on my face as I looked at him, not understanding what part of our dialogue managed to make him so cheery.

\- "You hurt Sam." –Lila kept talking and wrapped her little arms around my neck protectively- "You're bad!"

\- "I promise you I'd never hurt Sam." –Roan stood in front of her- "The man that did won't be a problem anymore." –Lila looked at me, looking for answers and I nodded- "And I would never hurt a kid as intelligent as you."

Lila smiled and nodded, complimenting her was probably the right way to gain her trust. She rose her hand at him, with her pinky up and I chuckled, prompting Roan to do the same.

\- "Alright, guys." –I laughed as they interlaced their pinkies- "You'll get along just fine."

\- "He's very strong." –Lila whispered in my ear, covering her mouth with her hand.

\- "He is." –I laughed- "Now, we're taking you to our room, alright? After that, I have something else to do."

\- "Are your other friends coming?" –Lila questioned as Roan and I started walking again with her still on my arms.

\- "I hope so, they have to meet you!"

\- "Will they like me?"

\- "If they don't, we'll kick them out of here." –Roan answered for me, gaining a nod from Lila as I shook my head, unamused.

We took Lila to what was supposed to be Octavia and I's room, for now, leaving her there with Niylah as I showed her the bag in which I had packed her two favorite toys and prompting her to organize her things in the little space we had. Then, I moved to my clothes, I wanted to put on the vest, but it felt wrong so, instead, I put on the now clean corset and took a couple blades before moving to the main door with Roan.

Once we got there, Octavia was already inside with Indra. I had trouble believing what I was seeing: every Skaikru except for Kane and Abbie was knocked out on the floor as the remains of the red gas they had used dissipated in the air.  _Mount Weather again._  I walked up to Octavia who pointed at Kane with her head so I followed her eyes: he had just taken out a couple papers from his pocket.  _I knew we'd end up using that damn list. I've never been surer of a choice in my life._  I looked at Octavia, I knew she had won the Conclave for all I cared but a small part of me still feared I'd have to kill a couple more people had her name not been on Clarke's list.

\- "No, the kids all stay." –Kane motioned for one of the men to take him inside, he then faced us- "His father is not on the list."

\- "We'll take care of him." –Octavia quickly answered and I nodded to her words.

\- "And what about the rest?" –Kane's voice wasn't angry but almost desperate- "The rest of the kids that, after today, become orphans."

\- "We were kids when you sent us down here to die." –I eyed him- "I lost my parents too and I survived. Most of us did." –I moved past him next to Roan, who was picking up a familiar guy- "We'll protect them so that they become better than what you made us... than what we are."

Roan looked at me, pointing beside him at a kid lying next to the man he had just picked up; he looked so small and vulnerable, he reminded me of Lila. I motioned Roan to keep going as I lowered to the floor, picking the kid up; he was starting to wake up as he wrapped his arms around my neck.

\- "Hey..." -I whispered as I placed my hand on the back of his neck as he rested his head on my shoulder- "You're going to be okay..."

\- "Ethan." –Kane moved next to me- "His name is Ethan."

\- "You're going to be okay, Ethan." –I started walking back towards the lower levels of the bunker but looked back at Kane- "The sooner you finish this, the sooner you'll be able to forgive yourself."

I truly meant it; I knew we had forced this on them but it was the right thing to do and I knew that, deep down, Kane knew it too.  _We'll have five years to move on down here._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback and constructive criticism are always extremely welcome🍸


	23. Praimfaya.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Praimfaya won’t spare anyone’s life, not even if you pray to the gods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, the final chapter for S4. Was this season a rollercoaster? Yes, and I loved every second of it.

**OCTAVIA'S POV**

Sam had left the level to take Ethan down as I stood there, seeing the people of Arkadia get distributed between those who stayed and those who were meant to die; Roan was helping to get the people out of the bunker so I moved to the main room and sat on the chair, going over everything that had happened in the last...  _10 hours._ I zoned out as my eyes stood on the clock.  _They should be on their way back by now._  I was still surprised Bellamy had left without saying anything but I understood; deep down he was the same guy that fell for Sam so long ago, only wanting to keep her out of danger's reach, he knew she wouldn't have hesitated to go after Raven alone but we both knew she needed a break. I honestly needed one too. I was glad he left her behind. After all, they'd all be here in...

\- "Anyone there?" –I hadn't realized the radio was on still as I blinked hard a couple times focusing my eyes on the panels in front of me- "Anyone copy?"

\- "Bellamy?" –I took the radio- "Where are you?"

\- "O. You okay?"

\- "Yeah, Kane finally decided the 100 spots for Skaikru, they are getting the rest outside now." –I glanced at the door for a second- "How much longer is it going to take you."

\- "O..." –I recognized the sorrow in his voice before he actually explained things- "We're not going back, we don't have time."

\- "What happened?"

\- "We had a problem during the trip, we got lucky Monty found us with the Rover and now..."

\- "What are you going to do?" -I cut him off quickly, I didn't need the details of what had happened, I just needed to know what he was going to do; I needed to know he was not going to die- "You don't have food at the lab and..."

\- "We're going to the Ark."

\- "What?"

\- "Raven is flying the rocket there."

\- "5 years, Bellamy..." –I sighed stressed and panicked- "Can you really survive up there for that long?"

\- "Raven says we can." –his voice was calm now; as if trying to reassure me everything was going to be fine- "As soon as it is safe, we'll find a way back down. We will meet again."

\- "I'll be waiting..." –I covered the radio as I yelled at the guard I knew was at the other side of the door to go look for Sam fast- "Under the floor."

\- "You're not that little girl anymore." –I stood silent, I didn't know what to say;  _5 years_ , that was a long time- "What's wrong O?"

\- "I'm not sure I'm up for this, Bell; I don't know if Sam's either... you should see them, they look at us like we know what we're doing." –I scoffed dryly- "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for her; if anything, they should listen to her."

\- "O, they look at you like that because you saved them but it won't last. You have to lead... both of you."

\- "How? I'm not a leader... it should be you or Clarke or... I'll just let Sam..."

\- "O, stop." –his voice cut me off quickly- "Neither of us could've done what you did."

\- "I didn't do anything, that was Sam!"

\- "O, it wasn't just about winning a fight, you gave people hope when there was none. You're Prometheus!" –he chuckled through the radio- "Stealing fire from the Gods and giving it back to the human race."

\- "Prometheus got chained to a rock so that eagles could eat his liver."

\- "Thanks for ruining my metaphor, O."

\- "It wasn't your best." –I smiled, even if he couldn't see me- "You left Sam out of it too."

\- "I know you're both going to be okay, as long as you take care of each other."

\- "We will. I'll keep her alive until you're back."

\- "Don't let her know you're her nanny now."

\- "Yeah, I don't think she'd take that too well." –I laughed with him, realizing I was going to miss him more than I could even begin to imagine- "I love you, big brother." –I fought back the tears threatening to spill down my eyes- "Guess it takes the end of the world for me to say it."

And before I could hear his voice one last time, the radio cut, everything coming out of it was a static noise as the controls on the screen went crazy before it completely shut off. As much as I tried calling his name, he wasn't there anymore.

\- "Fuck!" –I yelled, throwing the radio's microphone on the table.

**\-----------------**

**SAM'S POV**

After I took Ethan down to one of the rooms left for Skaikru I made my way back up. _It can't take them much longer, right? I mean, couple hours but they should be contacting by radio soon to let us know when to open the hatch._   _I should probably go check on Lila... oh, and make sure Jasper isn't sharing a room with anyone too brusque. Maybe he should bunk with us, I'm sure Lila will adore him in no time. I'll ask Octavia._  I was making my way back to my room when a Grounder intercepted me.

\- "Skairipa gaf in gon ai op yu." [Skairipa wants to see you]

\- "Sha. Werom ste em?" [Where is she?]

\- "Kom raun ai." [Follow me]

I nodded and moved after him until we got to the main level and he pointed at the control room. I walked up to the door, seeing Roan coming down from the room that led to the hatch.

\- "It's done."

\- "Alright." –I stood in front of the door- "Now, we just need the rest to arrive and get inside before the radiation burns them alive. Easy."

\- "Then, you'll have to lead."

\- "Can we go one problem at a time?" –I moved my head to the side to look at him, raising an eyebrow- "I may need your help with that."

\- "You don't need anyone's help to rule."

\- "Stay close in case I do." –I placed my hand on the door and Roan made a move to follow me- "No, O asked for me, I go in alone."

\- "Whatever you say, Heda."

\- "You forgot the most important part of my name."

\- "Did I?"

He gave me a look too hard to decipher in the little time I cared to wait before I went inside the office room, so I simply rolled my eyes at him and entered the room, closing the door after me just before I heard something crashing. My head shot to look at her, her head bowed forward over her palms as she held the weight up with her elbows on the table; the radio kept making some static noise and I saw the microphone hanging from the front of the table.  _What now?_

\- "O..." –I whispered softly not to startle her- "What's wrong?"

\- "They aren't coming back." –she blurted out as she rose her teary eyes to look at me- "Bellamy's going back to space. The radio cut before you..."

\- "Hey, hey." –I approached her, not wanting to think selfishly for one second about it and choosing to comfort her first- "It's okay, he's going to be okay." –I pulled her to me- "We're going to be okay."

\- "Sam, I'm so sorry..."

\- "You had no control over any of this, don't apologize."

\- "But..."

\- "Shh." –I pulled her away of me just enough to look at her eyes- "There's no place I'll rather be."

\- "I know you're lying."

\- "I mean, sure, I'd have rather for your brother to be with us... or us going with him but, space? Seriously?" -I chuckled for a second as she gave me a puzzled look- "Hell nah, I appreciate the feeling of the ground under my feet way too much; I am never going back up there, I only got shitty memories and I don't need them."

\- "You'd be with him."

\- "He doesn't need me, you do."

\- "Aren't you mad he left without telling you?"

\- "I'm sure he had a reason." –I shrugged my shoulders, sitting on the table.

\- "He probably thought he'd come back before you knew it."

\- "He's not the best at time management, that much is true; his 20 hours are going to be five years now."

\- "And you didn't get to say goodbye."

\- "I never can." –I smiled at her, my heart ached so hard inside my chest I felt it could implode but I had to be strong now, for her, for me, for both of us- "Now, let's focus on this and I'm sure time will fly quickly in front of our eyes and, before we know it, we'll be one happy team back out there, no more war no more deaths and definitively no more fights..."

\- "You mean a family?" –she walked up to the front of the table to sit beside me.

\- "Sure, that too." –I eyed her, seeing the smile on her face- "If you'll take me."

\- "I adopted you the day we landed."

\- "Huh, interesting."

I smirked at her, shoved her shoulder softly with my mine and we both laughed; her hand found mine and I squeezed it as we stood there in silence, looking at the door that we would eventually have to cross to put some order in this place. I wasn't particularly looking forward to that though.

\- "How are we going to do this?" –Octavia spoke again- "I'm not a leader."

\- "Do I look like one to you? Because this is the last job I'd sign up for." –I tilted my head, thinking for a moment- "But, I mean, we've got Indra and Roan, I'm guessing they could give us a hand with this, right?" –I smiled- "We got this, O."

\- "Ogeda."

\- "Ogeda."

**\------------------**

**ROAN'S POV**

I allowed Sam to go inside the office room alone, standing just outside as I kept an eye on everyone in the main level.  _Two survivors, two people to rule over all of us now. If they don't settle things fast, people will choose sides and we could all die down here in less than a month._  From the corner of my eye, I watched Indra walk into the level, looking around as the last Skaikru were taken inside before she made her way to the door I was standing next to.

\- "They both in there?"

\- "Octavia asked to see her."

\- "Something must be wrong then."

\- "They aren't coming back."

I was not sure if that was what was happening but it was the best explanation and the Trikru war chief seemed to agree. She knocked on the door and I followed her inside, seeing the sisters sat on the table with their hands interlaced. I could tell the younger one had been about to tear up which explained they were holding hands; she must have taken the message and delivered it to Sam and, honoring her name, the older one remained strong, at least as far as I could tell.

\- "Seal the bunker completely." –Sam jumped from the table- "Unless you think we have enough time to bring a couple more people inside to fill in every spot."

\- "We can't risk it."

\- "Fair enough." –Sam took the initiative, nodding to Indra as I smiled to myself- "Seal us."

Indra nodded and left to the door to make her command known.

\- "What happened?"

\- "They run into some type of problem." –Octavia answered this time- "They are going to space."

\- "I am sorry to hear that, I was starting to warm up to your brother."

\- "You're a terrible liar." –Sam smiled as Octavia shook her head- "What now?"

\- "Now you lead." –the door opened as I spoke.

\- "It's time for you both to take command." –Indra closed the door after her and walked to us- "I know..." –I cleared my throat- "We know you're tired but we have to focus on the chosen now. 1200 people are waiting for your orders: when to eat, where to sleep, how to live."

\- "The unrest will turn to violence, we have seen that before."

\- "You both must lead us now."

\- "That's what my brother said." –Octavia looked at Sam- "But we're not Commanders and we're two."

\- "The time of the Commanders is passed; the time of the Flame is passed."

\- "This is your time." –I added- "The time for the Skaikru sisters that became Trikru and Azgeda before uniting all the clans and guiding them to the future."

\- "So..." –Sam glanced at Octavia before eyeing both Indra and me- "What do we do?"

\- "Let us help."

Indra placed her hand in front of them, opening her fist and revealing a cog, surely the one Lexa used to wear.

\- "But there's only one."

\- "It's yours." –Sam moved Indra's hand in front of Octavia- "I know we're Wonkru now, but the root of this symbol is Trikru, and you're far more Trikru that I ever was... more than I could have ever become."

\- "We're together in this." –Octavia faced her sister- "If you don't have one, I'm not wearing it either. I'm not over you, we're co-leaders."

\- "I have seen one of those before. Hold up." –I turned to the door- "And you..." –I pointed at Sam- "Do not do anything stupid."

\- "I'm not even offended."

**\-----------------------**

**BELLAMY'S POV**

I had been talking with Octavia, hoping to get a chance to say goodbye to Sam too when the radio cut off. I tried pushing all the buttons in front of me, turning it on and off but nothing worked; they were gone. Anger and despair coursed through my body.  _At least I could talk with O and explain what happened, more or less... but Sam, she asked me not to go anywhere and what do I do? Take a rocket to space for the next 5 years._  As the realization hit me, I clenched my fists; I was about to spend 5 years away from the people I loved most, 5 years with no chance of getting in contact with them.  _At least we'll all survive._

\- "Bellamy?" –Clarke opened the door and looked at me- "You okay?"

\- "I'm sorry..." –I rose from my seat apologetically- "The radio's dead, won't get to say goodbye to your mom."

Her eyes went down to the floor as she shook her head before she started sobbing. I felt so bad, the only thing I could do was hug her; she was trembling in my arms.

\- "Clarke! Bellamy!" –Murphy yelled urgently from downstairs- "Get down here!"

Everyone was standing in front of the monitor on the wall that had been marking the count down for Praimfaya to reach Arkadia, Polis and the island. We had image of the Tower and we stood there, watching as everything was devoured by a wave of fire and radiation before the camera shut off. My heart clenched in my chest and I had trouble standing still, I rubbed my eyes as I looked down.  _May we meet again. We'll meet again._

\- "I'm suddenly glad you opened that hatch." –Murphy eyed me.

\- "Why?"

\- "Because, even if we've ended up here, at least Sam's inside. I'm not sure I could have slept knowing she..." -he simply pointed at the screen, I understood.

\- "You could've stayed." –Echo's voice came from behind all of us.

\- "What?" –Clarke turned around.

\- "You don't seriously think anyone would have made place for us in there, do you?" –Murphy was feeling brave as he retorted to Echo- "They kicked you out."

\- "Samantha had saved a place for you both and someone else but I'm not sure what their name was."

\- "What!" –Murphy exclaimed as he looked at Emori, taking her hand in his.

\- "Echo, explain yourself."

\- "I... Before she fought for Azgeda, she made a deal with Roan before we even knew Luna would be a problem for everyone's survival. She agreed to fight for us if at least Azgeda, Skaikru, and Trikru shared the bunker equally. Roan accepted."

\- "Why?"

\- "Because he knew Jusheda would kill him if he touched your sister." -she eyed me- "Once Luna showed up, he realized he had made the right choice, for only her would had a chance against her... he was right." -her voice went quiet, I knew she felt ashamed as Roan had banished her for going against his orders.

\- "That doesn't explain how we got a spot." –Murphy pointed at Emori and himself.

\- "Knowing the three clans would still make up more than 1200 people, she forced Roan to agree on freeing three Azgeda spots. Those terms remained once it was decided the bunker would be shared not by 3 clans but all of them."

\- "The third spot was for Jasper." –I breathed out as the realization hit me.

\- "You didn't tell her he stayed behind?" -Monty seemed surprised- "Why?" -the disapproving look on his face made me feel worse than I already did.

\- "I wanted to find the right time..." -I shook my head realizing only now that Sam would be waiting to see Jasper in 5 years, for I was sure Octavia would have told her Monty found us with the Rover and she'd immediately assume Jasper was with him; I had fucked up- "Sam knew Kane and Jaha would never get him in..."

\- "Same way she knew we would be kicked out." –Emori nodded, looking at Murphy.

\- "I'll have to thank her and apologize once we come back." –Murphy smiled for a second- "But let's focus now on getting out of here. Can't thank her if I die because none of you is getting to work."

**\----------------------**

**OCTAVIA'S POV**

As Roan left, Sam prompted Indra to get me ready. I didn't know where he expected to find one of those but I was not going to wear anything that placed me above my sister; we started this together, we'd end it together. Indra seemed to have left some stuff in the room before and I knew she had this planned out since we entered the bunker. She made me straighten up my clothes as she put a red piece of cloth around my shoulders; she was securing it to my jacket when Roan came back, he looked at us before moving towards Sam that had sat down on the table, looking pensively. I knew she was thinking of Bellamy.  _It's going to be a long 5 years._

\- "Look at me."

Indra regained my attention and made me focus my eyes on her as she finished with the fabric, making it look like a cloak before taking the clog out of her pocket. She was also carrying some type of powder that she applied to the symbol before commanding me to close my eyes; as I did, I felt something cold on my forehead, the sensation quickly overrun by pressure on that same spot. Once I opened my eyes again, Indra's eyes were focused on the space right between my eyebrows as if making sure she had placed it correctly.

\- "You're done."

The first thing I did was turn around to look at Sam: she had her back to me but she was wearing a white cloak; I realized Roan had made it fall from her right shoulder as opposed to mine that fell from my left one.  _We're two sides of the same coin._  As she turned around to look at me, my eyes immediately went to the spot between her eyebrows as she was now too wearing a clog, I couldn't help but furrow my eyebrows as I still couldn't understand where it came from.

\- "Lila had it." –Sam read me like an open book- "It was Sheda's."

\- "White?" –Indra looked at Sam but addressed Roan before I could even address the fact that she was wearing now something else that belonged to Sheda at some point- "There's no more..."

\- "It's not for Azgeda." –Roan cut her off- "I saw the red fabric and it reminded me of fire, so I made Jusheda's white for ice or water."

\- "The Ice Nation."

\- "No. The four elements: Earth, inside which we'll live; Air, that we'll breathe and share as a unit; Fire, to symbolize power; and Water, to represent life, survival."

\- "Blue would have been a better suit for water." –Indra mumbled and I had to agree with her as Sam eyed Roan.

\- "There was no blue cloth long enough to make a cloak for my Queen, so white will have to do." -he retorted quickly- "I could say the same about the Trikru symbol."

I didn't imagine Roan could be so thoughtful, let alone be able to handle a deep conversation or find meaning behind symbols but, apparently, he did. Sam looked at me and we exchanged a look, agreeing on Roan's chosen meaning for what we wore.

\- "White's fine, it's not like I'm going to be walking around with this forever, right?"

I nodded in agreement for I had no intention either to be carrying that piece of cloth around with me for the next 5 years. She walked up to me, standing to my right and squeezing my hand as Roan and Indra moved to the doors in front of us; they gave us a final look before opening the doors and walking outside, holding them open for us to come out and face our people.

\- "Ogeda."

\- "Ogeda."

**\-------------------**

**RAVEN'S POV**

We had lost Clarke. Everyone had done their part but, for some reason, Clarke had stayed outside way too long and it was my responsibility to get the rest out of Praimfaya's reach, so I did. I don't know how but, before she died, she managed to get the systems to work as I had explained to her and we had been able to breathe fresh air a couple minutes later after we entered the ring. Fresh as in from the ship's circuits and not our suits. We all felt horrible for having left her behind, but I had to or we would all have died.

Once we got everything more or less settled, we decided to look through the Ring to see what we could find. As I was walking around one of the main hallways, I thought I heard someone sobbing so I followed the sound until I got to a small side corridor that led to a window that looked over Earth: fire and explosions covered every centimeter of what my eyes could see. And there, Bellamy stood, unaware of my presence.

\- "Hey!" –I announced myself as I walked up to him- "You alright?"

\- "She's dead." –Bellamy mumbled as he looked outside the window, not even bothering hiding how he felt- "For good this time."

\- "It's not your fault, Bellamy..." –I approached him, standing in front of the window too, looking at the burning planet in front of us- "Clarke saved us and..."

\- "I wasn't talking about Clarke." –he turned to me; he looked devastated and I couldn't comprehend why so I rose a questioning eyebrow prompting him to explain himself- "Sam, I left her behind. Again." –the words came out through gritted teeth.

\- "She's in the bunker, she'll be safe there." -I furrowed my eyebrows, I couldn't understand what he meant.

\- "I thought so too until we lost Clarke."

\- "What do you mean?"

\- "I know Abbie saw them die like you saw the rocket. If the first two happened..."

\- "You think Sam's dead because of what A.L.I.E. showed Abbie? Bellamy, what could happen down there for her to die?"

\- "We're talking about Sam, Raven." –he sighed, a scold in his face as he glanced at me for a second- "Anything could go wrong... it might as well had already happened and I..." –he took a deep breath- "What have I done?"

\- "Hey." –I placed my hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him but not knowing how; after all, he could have been right- "Maybe Abbie was wrong; don't start mourning Sam before even knowing if she's dead."

\- "A.L.I.E. was right all the other times. Why would she have been wrong now?"

He faced the window again, his arms crossed over his chest, lumped shoulders and teary eyes. If I had learned anything for A.L.I.E. during the last couple of days as well as from Becca was that they were usually right. I couldn't deny what happened with the rocket and leaving Clarke... Half of me was certain Abbie's prediction would come true sooner or later, my eyes watered a bit as I remembered I never got to say goodbye to her; the other half wanted to throw those thoughts aside, knowing Sam was way stronger than anything we had already faced. But the part of me that still remembered vividly everything about A.L.I.E. weighted more than the other one.

\- "A million things could go wrong in the bunker." –Bellamy basically continued my train of thought out loud- "And maybe she's still alive and maybe she isn't..."

\- "Here you are, found anything worth my time yet?" –Murphy strode towards us, his content expression dropping immediately as he saw the look on Bellamy's eyes- "Hey, what's wrong? We survived, didn't we?"

\- "You think Sam might still be alive?"

\- "What?" –Murphy crinkled his nose and furrowed his eyebrows.

\- "Sam."

\- "You really should have asked her to join us." –Murphy retorted, clearly not seeing what this was all about- "She'll be fine and she's with your sister. Nothing will happen to her but, as soon as you step foot down there, she's going to kick your ass for leaving her without saying shit."

\- "She's dead."

\- "What?" –Murphy shook his head- "Clarke's dead. Sam's in the bunker, don't let them know you confused them."

\- "I mean it, Murphy!" –Bellamy practically yelled at him- "Everything A.L.I.E. showed Raven and Abbie came true!"

\- "You don't seriously believe that, right?" –Murphy scoffed- "Abbie saw them die, sure, but in the radiation chamber."

\- "What?"

\- "How did you think Sam got her new blood?" –Murphy scoffed- "Learn to put the pieces together man; she injected herself with Luna's blood to save Emori from being burned alive!" –Bellamy eyed me as if looking for confirmation to Murphy's words so I nodded.

\- "Abbie said the only way to know if it worked was to test it and decided to use Emori. You know Sam, she'd die before letting anyone hurt us..." –I smiled to myself- "They all seemed to be okay with it except for Roan."

\- "Yeah, that's right." –Murphy intervened as Bellamy's face distorted into a pure look of confusion- "Sam's alive because the Ice King Roan pulled her out of there. That's why I'm certain she's alive. You should have seen the way he behaves around her, he won't let anything happen to her."

\- "A.L.I.E. showed Abbie their deaths, Murphy!"

\- "Because of radiation!" –Murphy huffled exasperated- "A.L.I.E. also said the City of Light was safe and look what happened, she took everyone's memories and almost killed all of us in the process. Sure, Clarke's dead but that doesn't mean Sam's too; she's a Nightblood in a bunker, underground, and safe and nothing will change my mind. You're just being stupid... what you're feeling is regret for leaving her behind, like you always do. Can't wait to be back down and see her finally kick your ass front row. Damn, it's going to be a long five years."

Murphy left before Bellamy could get a hold of him. I knew he truly believed Sam was alive but even I started to have my doubts now. A.L.I.E. had shown me things, I knew things I wasn't supposed to know and most often than not, she'd been right. I started to wonder what would happen in the bunker without Sam.

\- "Maybe he's right." -I chose to hide my thoughts to try and give Bellamy some sort of encouragement, I knew he'd break if he thought otherwise- "You can't spend the next 5 years mourning her or wishing you'd had done something different; it'll destroy you."

\- "I hate this, I hate everything about this but all the things A.L.I.E. predicted became true one way or another." –he faced me again- "What if she's..."

\- "What's the last thing you told her?"

\- "That I love her."

\- "And what did she say?"

\- "Don't go anywhere, love." –he chuckled dryly- "And what did I do? Leave her behind. Abandon her. Murphy's right, I'm the worst."

He closed his eyes and sniffled. I had seen him mourn Sam once and it hadn't been pretty, I thought he might have ended up hurting someone if not himself. However, this time, it felt different. Last time, rage and unspoken feelings had crowded his thoughts and the way he acted. This time? This time it was like standing next to a river that was once full of life and witnessing helplessly as it dried out; it was like watching the life leave his body as he became only a shell; it was as if the sun had stopped shinning over him. It broke my heart.

\- "There's still a possibility she's alive..." –I squeezed his shoulder- "And, even if she's not, you know Sam's always been big on living in the moment, you should do the same; Bellamy, she'd want you to move on."

\- "I can't..."

\- "What?"

\- "Move on."

Bellamy's façade finally dropped completely, his knees game in and he fell to the floor letting out an agonizing scream before the tears started pooling down his face. I didn't know what to do to try and make him feel better. There was no way for us to contact them nor was there a satellite still standing for us get thermal vision inside the bunker; it'd be easy to tell if Sam was there because there was no one who moved like her or that'd stay still for long. My heart ached for Bellamy, already mourning the loss of Sam being 100% convinced it was his fault. The connection he hadn't made was that, if Sam was meant to die, she'd have done so coming to the lab with them, probably choosing to help Clarke and dying with her there and, even if she had come to the Ring, chances are she'd have died here too. But maybe that'd had been easier for him... at least he'd have gotten to say goodbye.

\- "Bellamy..." –I wrapped my arm around his shoulders, trying to comfort him somewhat.

\- "There's no one else, Raven... there'll never be someone else..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ARE WE UP FOR SEASON 5 IN HERE OR WHAT  
> Let me know!!
> 
> P.S: Constructive criticism is always welcome, thank you🍸


End file.
